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BULLETIN  OF 

ILLINOIS  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

CO-OPERATIVE  AGREEMENT 

Issued  bi-monthly 


VOL.  II 


September,  1915 


No.  1 


State  Geological  Survey 

Department  of  Mining  Engineering,  University  of  Illinois 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 


BULLETIN  13 


Coal  Mining  In  Illinois 


BY 
S.  O.  ANDROS 


Published  by 

University  of  Illinois 

Urbana,  Illinois 


[Entered  as  second-class  matter  June  1, 1914.  at  the  Post  Office  at  Urbana,  111.,  under 
the  Act  of  Aug.  24, 1914.] 


The  Forty-seventh  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, with  a  view  of  conserving  the  lives  of  the  mine  workers 
and  the  mineral  resources  of  the  State,  authorized  an  investi- 
gation of  the  coal  resources  and  mining  practices  of  Illinois 
by  the  Department  of  ^Mining  Engineering  of  the  University 
of  Illinois  and  the  State  Geological  Survey  in  co-operation 
with  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines.  A  co-operative 
agreement  was  approved  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and 
by  representatives  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

The  direction  of  this  investigation  is  vested  in  the  Direc- 
tor of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines,  the  Director  of  the 
State  Geological  Survey,  and  the  {Head  of  the  Department  of 
Mining  Engineering,  University  of  Illinois,  who  jointly  deter- 
mine the  methods  to  be  employed  in  the  conduct  of  the  work 
and  exercise  general  editorial  supervision  over  the  publication 
of  the  results,  but  each  party  to  the  agreement  directs  the 
work  of  its  agents  in  carrying  on  the  investigation  thus  mutu- 
ally agreed  on. 

Tfye  reports  of  the  investigation  are  issued  in  the  form  of 
bulletins,  either  by  the  State  Geological  Survey,  the  Depart- 
ment of  Mining  Engineering,  University  of  Illinois,  or  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Mines.  For  copies  of  the  bulletins 
issued  by  the  State  an4  for  information  about  the  work, 
address  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  University  of  Illinois, 
Urbana,  111.  For  bulletins  issued  by  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Mines,  address  Director,  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Mil. 


ILLINOIS 
COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

CO-OPERATIVE  AGREEMENT 

Issued  bi-monthly 


State  Geological  Survey 

Department  of  Mining  Engineering,  University  of  Illinois 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 


BULLETIN  13 


Coal  Mining  In  Illinois 


BY 
S.  O.  ANDROS 


Urbana 

University  of  Illinois 

1915 


1915 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction     7 

History    10 

Period  of  exploration  ( 1673-1810) 10 

Ante-railroad  period  ( 1810-1850) 13 

Railroad  period    ( 1850-1915) 34 

Division  of  the  State  into  districts .  .    50 

Description  of  coal  seams 56 

District  I,          Seam  2 56 

District  II,        Seam  2 58 

District  III,       Seam  1— Seam  2 59 

District  IV,       Seam  5 60 

District  V,         Seam  5 62 

District  VI,       Seam  6 64 

District  VII,     Seam  6 65 

District  VIII,   Seam  6 66 

Seam  7 66 

Mining  practice 68 

Local  mines 70 

Unmodified   room-and-pillar  mines 71 

Panel  mines  83 

Pillar  drawing    89 

Longwall  mines    93 

Work  at  the  face 104 

Stripping  mines    107 

Drainage   113 

Blasting 114 

Timbering     127 

Timbering  in  longwall   mines 127 

Room-and-pillar  timbering   131 

Accidents    ■ 142 

Per  capita  production  of  employees 147 

Ventilation 150 

Ventilation  of  longwall  mines 150 

Ventilation  of  mines  other  than  longwall 154 

Mine  fires  171 

Lighting 174 

Haulage     175 

Hoisting    191 

Preparation   of   coal 202 

Markets  and  selling  price 219 

Bibliography    • 226 

General    226 

Annual   Reports    239 

Mining  Laws  240 

Index   241 

(3) 


TABLES 

NO.  PAGE 

1.  Coal  production  and  main  track  mileage  of  railroads 35 

2.  Districts  into  which  the   State   has  been  divided   for  the  purpose  of 

investigation   52 

3.  Alphabetical  arrangement  by  counties 53 

4.  Comparative  percentages  by  districts 54 

5.  Average  analyses  of  coal  by  districts 57 

6.  Number  of  mines  of  specified  annual  tonnage  1883-1914 69 

7.  Relation  between  local  and  shipping  mines 70 

8.  Dimensions  in  feet  of  workings  of  unmodified  room-and-pillar  mines.  74 

9.  Dimensions  in  feet  of  workings  of  panel  mines    87 

10.  Dimensions  of  workings  in  longwall  mines 100 

11.  Blasting  in  longwall  mines 106 

12.  Blasting  practice  in  mines  shooting  off  the  solid 115 

13.  Coal  cutting  data  since  1900 117 

14.  Blasting  practice  in  mines  using  undercutting  machines 120 

15.  Cost  of  mine  timbers  in  District  1 130 

16.  Data  on  props  in  rooms 139 

17.  Accident  per  1000  employees 142 

18.  Tonnage  per  accident  by  districts 143 

19.  Causes  of  accidents  to  employees 143 

20.  Daily  per  capita  production  of  employees 148 

21.  Comparative  temperatures  in  longwall  and  room-and-pillar  mines....  150 

22.  Comparison  of  longwall  and  room-and-pillar  rib  dust  on  haulageways.  153 

23.  Pressure  developed  by  dust  of  face  samples  in  explosibility  apparatus.  157 

24.  Total  cost  of  completed   stopping 163 

25.  Material  and  initial  cost  of  stoppings 164 

26.  Ventilating  equipment  of  mines  producing  less  than  1000  tons  daily..  167 

27.  Ventilating  equipment  of  mines  producing  1000  and  less  than  2000  tons 

daily    170 

28.  Ventilating  equipment  of  mines  producing  2000  tons  daily  and  over. .  172 

29.  Ton  mileage  of  standard    electric    locomotives 176 

30.  Ton  mileage  of  locomotives  other  than  standard  electric 178 

31.  Amount  of  air  required  for  ventilation  with  various  sizes  of  gasoline 

locomotives   179 

32.  Haulage  equipment  with  mule  haulage 183 

33.  Haulage  equipment  with  mechanical  haulage 186 

34.  Hoisting  equipment  for  mines  producing  less   than   1000  tons  daily. .  192 

35.  Hoisting  equipment  for  mines  producing  1000  and  less  than  2000  tons 

daily    195 

36.  Hoisting  equipment  for  mines  producing  2000  tons   and   over  daily..  198 

37.  Sizes  of  coal  made  in  Illinois 203 

38.  Preparation  of  coal  205 

39.  Surface  plant  equipment  of  mines  producing  less  than  1000  tons  daily.  211 

40.  Surface  plant  equipment  of  mines  producing  1000  and  less  than  2000 

tons  daily    , 215 

41.  Surface  plant  equipment  of  mines  producing  2000  tons  daily  and  over.  217 

42.  Capitalization  of  coal  mines 223 

(4) 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FIGURE  PAGE 

1.  Copy  of  Joliet's  map  made  in  1674 8 

2.  Copy  of  Marquette's  map  published  by  Thevenot,  1681 11 

3.  Map  drawn  by  Shepard,  1840 29 

4.  Coincident  development  of  main  track  mileage  and  production  of  coal.       36 

5.  Surface  plant  of  early  railroad  period 37 

6.  Division  of  the  State  into  districts 51 

7.  Typical   clay   vein   in    District    IV 62 

8.  Igneous  dike  in  coal  in  District  V 63 

9.  Plan  of  unmodified  room-and-pillar  mine 72 

10.  Arching  of  top  coal  in  entries  in  District  II 78 

11.  Wing-room  turned  to  avoid  roll  in  District  IV 79 

12.  Plan  of  mine  in  District  V  with  triple  main  entries 81 

13.  Offset  crosscut   in   District   VII 82 

14.  Crosscut  in  District  VII  to  provide  small  stopping 82 

15.  Shearing  the  ribs  in  District  VII 83 

16.  Plan  of  panel  mine 84 

17.  Typical    block    room-and-pillar    mine 86 

18.  Method  of  drawing  pillars  in  District  III 90 

19.  Method  of  drawing  pillars  in  District  VI 92 

20.  Plan  of  longwall  mine  showing  direction  of  ventilating  current 94 

21.  Entries  in  shaft  pillar  in  longwall  mine 95 

22.  Pack  walls  around  shaft  pillar  in  longwall  mine 96 

23.  Plan  of  longwall  mine  with  auxiliary  permanent  entries 98 

24.  Method   of   working  panel   longwall 99 

25.  Face  of  longwall  panel  mine  in  dipping  seam 101 

26.  Chute  in  panel  longwall  mine  in  dipping  seam 103 

27.  Props  and  sprags  at  face  of  longwall  mine 104 

28.  Removing  top-soil  with  hydraulic  monitors 108 

29.  Steam-shovel  digging  shale  overburden 109 

30.  Stripping-mine  coal   face 1 10 

31.  Steam-shovel  with  belt-conveyor  spoil-elevator 112 

32.  A  method  of  placing  shots  after  puncher  undercutting  machine 118 

33.  Method  of  placing  holes  where  black  powder  is  used 119 

34.  Method  of  placing  holes  where  permissible  explosives  are  used 119 

35.  Method  of  shooting  with  two  benches 125 

36.  Entry  closely  timbered  in  longwall  mine 127 

37.  A  typical  lye  in  a  longwall  mine 129 

38.  Shaft  bottom  with   roof   supported  by  steel    I-beams   set   on  concrete 

walls    131 

39.  Inby  end  of  concrete-lined  bottom 133 

40.  Solid  concrete  pier  at  branch 134 

41.  Cog   timbering  at  parting 135 

42.  Timbering  in  haulage  entry 136 

43.  Alternation  of  good  and  bad  roof 137 

44.  Timbering  in  caved  area  in  District  VII 140 

45.  Photograph  of  underground  refuge  chamber 144 

(5) 


FIGURE  PAGE 

46.  Sketch  of  underground  refuge  chamber 145 

47.  Explosion-door  in  concrete-block  stopping  in  District  V 155 

48.  Typical   gob  stopping    156 

49.  Efficient  brick  stopping 158 

50.  Latch  in  rib  dug  to  receive  stopping 160 

51.  Mixer  and  mould  for  making  concrete  blocks 162 

52.  Arrangement  of  plant  for  making  concrete  blocks 163 

53.  Concrete    overcast    165 

54.  Steel  hay  car  and  concrete  hay  room 173 

55.  Pit-car  hauled  by  dog 178 

56.  First  gasoline  mine-locomotive  in  Illinois 180 

57.  Amount  of  "company  brushing"  necessary  after  subsidence 182 

58.  Automatic  chain  car-haul 185 

59.  Underground  machine  shop 190 

60.  Hopper   for  receiving  coal  at  bottom  of  shaft 194 

61.  Circular    hoisting    shaft 200 

62.  Plan  and  section  of  concrete-lined  shaft 201 

63.  Equipment  for  preparation  at  local  mine 204 

64.  Tipple  designed  for  local  trade  and  shipping 204 

65.  Inflammable  material  piled  against  frame  tipple 213 

66.  Fireproof   steel  tipple 214 

67.  Graph  showing  decline  of  margin  of  profit 221 


((>) 


COAL  MINING  IN  ILLINOIS 

By  S.  0.  Andros 

INTRODUCTION 

The  importance  of  a  nation  or  a  state  depends  upon  its 
agricultural  resources,  its  coal  production,  and  the  extent  of 
its  iron  manufacture.  Coal  is  indispensable  to  modern  civili- 
zation and  industrial  development  and  the  present  industrial 
prosperity  of  Illinois  is  due  principally  to  the  large  area  of  its 
coal  fields,  36,125  square  miles  of  its  territory  being  under- 
lain by  coal. 

The  annual  coal  production  of  the  world  is  approximately 
1,450,000,000  tons,  of  which  amount  the  United  States  pro- 
duces about  40  per  cent  and  the  State  of  Illinois  more  than  4. 
Illinois  is  the  third  largest  producer  of  coal  in  the  United 
States,  being  exceeded  in  production  only  by  Pennsylvania 
and  West  Virginia,  and  its  annual  tonnage  is  about  11  per 
cent  of  the  output  of  the  country. 

Employing  80,000  men  who  mine  annually  60  million  tons 
of  coal  worth  over  70  million  dollars,  the  coal  mining  industry 
must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  important  industries  in 
the  State  and  its  economic  status  is  of  vital  interest. 

With  a  desire  to  be  informed  about  the  degree  of  safety 
to  the  miners  and  the  efficiency  of  mining  methods  the  Forty- 
seventh  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois  authorized 
an  investigation  of  the  coal  resources  and  mining  practices  of 
Illinois  by  the  Department  of  Mining  Engineering  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  and  the  State  (Geological  Survey  in 
co-operation  with  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines.  Each 
co-operating  party  to  the  agreement  furnished  trained  special- 
ists for  particular  phases  of  the  investigations  and  the  work, 
begun  in  1911,  lias  been  continued  under  annual  ratifications 
of  the  initial  agreement.  A  general  survey  of  the  State  has 
been  made  by  districts  and  several  special  problems  have  been 
studied  in  detail  and  the  data  thus  obtained  have  been  pub- 
lished in  bulletins  issued  from  time  to  time  as  the  work  prog- 
ressed. 

(7) 


THE  CENTRAL  PORTION  OF   JOLlET's   MAP,    1674,    SHOWING  THE  MISSISSIPPI   AS  THE   "BAUDE."' 

Fig.  1.     Copy  of  Joliet's  map  made  in  1674  (From  "A  History  of  the   Misei 
sippi  Valley,"  by  Spears  and  Clark) 


INTRODUCTION  V 

That  the  work  of  the  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations 
is  answering  to  a  real  need  is  shown  by  the  hundreds  of  re- 
quests for  bulletins  which  have  come  from  many  foreign  coun- 
tries, from  every  State  in  this  country,  and  from  all  parts  of 
Illinois. 

The  object  of  this  bulletin  is  to  abstract  and  summarize 
the  district  reports  so  as  to  compare  mining  practice  in  the 
different  districts  and  to  make  generalizations  on  the  practice 
of  the  State  as  a  whole.  The  need  for  such  a  summary  bulle- 
tin is  emphasized  by  the  many  requests  for  earlier  district 
reports  which  are  now  out  of  print. 

In  order  to  make  the  bulletin  more  valuable  to  those  in- 
terested in  coal  mining  in  Illinois  an  historical  chapter  on  the 
economic  development  of  the  industry  has  been  included  and 
a  bibliography  of  the  geology,  chemistry,  and  exploitation  of 
the  different  seams  has  been  appended. 

The  operators,  superintendents,  mine  managers,  and  mine 
workers  of  the  chosen  mines  and  the  State  Mine  Inspectors 
rendered  generous  and  valuable  assistance  in  the  collection  of 
data  and  acknowledgments  have  been  made  to  them  with  par- 
ticularity in  the  district  reports.  Further  acknowledgments 
are  due  to  Mr.  F.  S.  Peabodv,  Mr.  A.  J.  Moorshead,  Mr.  C.  M. 
Moderwell,  Mr.  Horace  Clark,  Mr.  E.  T.  Bent,  Mr.  G.  W. 
Traer,  Mr.  Carl  Scholz,  Mr.  Gordon  Buchanan  and  Mr.  D.  W. 
Buchanan  for  furnishing  supplementary  cost  data,  and  to  Mr. 
Frank  Farrington,  President  of  District  12,  United  Mine 
Workers  of  America,  for  reviewing  the  manuscript  of  this 
report. 

The  author  is  greatly  indebted  to  Professor  H.  H. 
Stoek,  Head  of  the  Department  of  Mining  Engineering  of  the 
University  of  Illinois  for  his  invaluable  assistance  in  arrang- 
ing the  subject  matter  of  this  report. 


HISTORY 

PERIOD  OF  EXPLORATION  (1673-1810) 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  first  mention  of  coal  in  the 
country  which  afterwards  became  the  United  States  has  been 
erroneously  credited  to  Father  Louis  Hennepin,  who  shows 
on  a  map  published  in  1689  the  location  of  a  "cole  mine" 
along  the  Illinois  River.  The  credit  for  this  first  mention  of 
coal  does  not,  however,  belong  to  Hennepin  for  the  first  dis- 
covery of  coal  in  the  United  States  by  Europeans  was  made  by 
Joliet  and  Marquette  in  1673.  Margry's  account1  of  Joliet's 
voyage  says,  ' '  The  said  M.  Joliet  adds,  That  he  had  set  down 
in  his  Journal  an  exact  Description  of  the  Iron-Mines  they 
discovered,  as  also  of  the  Quarries  of  Marble,  and  Cole-Pits, 
and  Places  where  they  find  Salt-Petre,  with  several  other 
things."  Joliet's  map  of  16742  (See  fig.  1)  shows  the  location 
of  "Charbon  de  terre"  (coal)  near  the  present  city  of  Utica. 
La  Salle  in  his  letter  to  Frontenac  (1680)  referring  to  the 
Illinois  River3  says,  "We  have  seen  no  mines  there  though 
several  Pieces  of  Copper  are  found  in  the  Sand  when  the  River 
is  low.  There  is  the  best  Hemp  in  that  Country  I  have 
seen  anywhere,  though  it  grows  naturally  without  culture. 
The  Savages  tell  us,  that  they  have  found  near  this  Village 
some  yellow  Metal ;  but  that  cannot  be  Gold,  according  to  their 
own  Relation,  for  the  Oar  of  Gold  cannot  be  too  fine  and 
bright  as  they  told  us.  There  are  Coal-Pits  on  that  River." 
Marquette's  Journal  was  first  published  in  France  by  Theve- 
not  in  1681. 4  Accompanying  the  narrative  was  a  map  (See 
fig.  2)  copied  by  Thevenot  from  one  made  by  Marquette. 
Both  original  and  copy  show  the  same  location  of  "Charbon 
de  terre"  as  does  Joliet's  map. 

Father  Louis  Hennepin,  a  Recollect  priest,  accompanied 
La  Salle's  expedition  to  the  Illinois  country  in  1680  as  chap- 
lain and  in  his  "A  New  Discovery  of  a  Large  Country  in 
America,"  published  in  English  in  1689,  and  dedicated  to  Wil- 
liam III  of  England,  says  with  reference  to  the  country  along 

^ecouvertes  et  fitablissements  des  Francais,   I,   p.   261.      Published  at   Paris,   1681. 
2Thwaites,   Jesuit   Relations,    Vol.    19,   p.    86. 
3Margry,  Vol.  I,  p.  465. 
4Recueil  de  Voyages. 

(10) 


Fig.  2.     Copy    of    Marquette's    map    published    by    Thevenot,    1681     (From    "A 
History  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,"  by  Spears  and  Clark) 


12  COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 

the  Illinois  River  from  its  source  to  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  Peoria:1  "There  are  Mines  of  Coal,  Slate,  and  Iron;  and 
several  pieces  of  fine  red  copper,  which  I  have  found  now 
and  then  upon  the  Surface  of  the  Earth,  makes  me  believe 
that  there  are  Mines  of  it;  and  doubtless  of  other  Metals 
and  Minerals,  which  may  be  discovered  one  time  or  another. 
They  have  Already  found  Allom  in  the  country  of  the  Iro- 
quoise. "  Hennepin's  map  accompanying  this  narrative1  lo- 
cates a  "cole  mine"  on  the  Illinois  River  above  Fort  Creve- 
coeur  (Peoria)  copied  from  Joliet's  map  and  Marquette's. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  September,  1720,  Father  Char- 
levoix arrived  at  the  junction  of  the  Kankakee  and  Illinois 
rivers.2  He  descended  the  Illinois  to  its  junction  with  a  river 
which  he  mentions  as  being  called  the  Pisicoui  and  which 
flows  from  the  country  of  Boniere  "because  they  find  many 
Coals  in  its  Environs."  (This  country  was  in  what  is  now  La 
Salle  County.) 

In  "Travels  through  the  Interior  Parts  of  North  Amer- 
ica in  years  1766,  1767,  and  1768,  by  J.  Carver,  Esq.",  the 
statement  is  made : 

"The  Mississippi,  runs  from  north  to  south  and  passes 
through  the  most  fertile  and  temperate  part  of  North  America. 
The  more  northern  parts  of  its  valley  contain  lead,  copper, 
iron,  and  coals." 

Patrick  Kennedy  in  his  journal  of  an  expedition  under- 
taken in  the  year  1773  from  Kaskaskias  Village  in  the  Illinois 
country  in  search  of  a  copper  mine,  under  the  date  of  August 
6,  1773,  writes,"  "At  sun-set  we  passed  a  river  called  Michili- 
mackinac  (Mackinaw  River  in  Tazewell  County).  Finding 
some  pieces  of  coal,  I  was  induced  to  walk  up  the  river  a  few 
miles,  though  not  far  enough  to  reach  a  coal  mine.  In  many 
places  I  also  found  clinkers,  which  inclined  me  to  think  that 
a  coal  mine,  not  far  distant,  was  on  fire,  and  I  have  since  heard 
there  was. ' '  On  the  12th  of  August  while  near  Utica  he  wrote, 
"On  the  northwestern  side  of  this  river  is  a  coal  mine  that 
extends  for  half  a  mile  along  the  middle  of  the  bank  of  the 
river,  which  is  high." 


^hwaites,    Hennepin's    New    Discovery,    Vol.    I,    p.    152. 

2Perrin's  History  of  Illinois. 

yHicks,    Thomas    Hutchins.     A    Topographical    Description. 


HISTORY  13 

Morse's  American  Gazetteer,  published  in  1797  under  the 
caption  Illinois  River  states :  "  On  the  north-western  side  of 
this  river  (near  La  Salle)  is  a  coal  mine,  which  extends  for 
half  a  mile  along  the  middle  of  its  banks,  and  about  the  same 
distance  below  the  coal  mine  are  two  salt  ponds,  100  yards  in 
circumference  and  several  feet  in  depth. ' ' 

ANTE-RAILROAD  PERIOD  (1810-1850) 

The  gradual  development  of  coal  mining  as  the  country 
became  settled  and  as  the  available  timber  supply  was  con- 
sumed is  best  shown  by  extracts  from  the  gazetteers  of  the 
period  and  from  the  journals  of  travellers  to  the  Illinois 
country. 

It  was  only  natural  that  mining  should  begin  near  the 
American  Bottom,  for  as  Beck1  said,  ' '  The  most  extensive  and 
fertile  within  the  limits  of  this  state,  is  the  American  Bottom, 
a  name  which  it  received  when  it  constituted  a  part  of  the 
western  boundary  of  the  United  States,  and  which  it  has  ever 
since  retained.  It  commences  at  the  confluence  of  the  Kaskas- 
kia  river,  and  extends  northwardly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
souri, being  bounded  on  the  east  by  a  chain  of  bluffs,  which 
in  some  places  are  sandy,  and  in  others  rocky,  and  vary  from 
50  to  200  feet  in  height.  This  bottom  is  about  100  miles  in 
length,  and  comprises  an  area  of  more  than  500  square  miles, 
or  320,000  acres.  The  first  settlement  of  this  state  was  com- 
menced upon  the  tract  of  land  above  described,  and  its  un- 
common fertility  gave  emigrants  a  favorable  idea  of  the  whole 
country.  Coal  exists  in  abundance  on  this  alluvion  and  the 
bluffs  which  bound  it.  Its  first  discovery  was  made  in  a  very 
singular  manner.  Many  years  since,  a  tree  taking  fire,  com- 
municated to  its  roots,  which  continued  burning  for  some 
time.  Upon  examination,  they  were  found  to  communicate 
with  a  bed  of  coal,  which  continued  to  burn  until  the  fire  was 
completely  smothered  by  the  falling  in  of  a  large  mass  of  in- 
cumbent earth.     The  appearance  of  fire  is  still  evident  for  a 

'A   Gazetteer   of  the   States  of    Illinois   and    Missouri,    1823. 


14  COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 

considerable  distance.  About  two  miles  from  this  place  a 
coal  bank  has  been  opened — the  vein  is  as  thick  as  any  at 
Pittsburg. ' ' 

It  was  at  the  point  mentioned  by  Beck  that  the  first  mine 
was  opened  and  we  have  a  record  of  the  shipment  of  a  flat- 
boat  load  of  coal  to  New  Orleans  in  1810  from  Brownsville  in 
Jackson  County. 

The  existence  of  coal  in  other  parts  of  Illinois  was  known 
but  local  need  elsewhere  had  not  arisen.  In  ' '  A  Full  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Military  Land, ' '  Van  Zandt  in  1818  said,  ' '  Among 
the  minerals  are  stone  coal  containing  bitumen  and  sulphur. 
The  coal  is  apparently  of  a  very  good  quality,  and  may  be 
found  in  very  great  abundance."  The  map  accompanying 
Schoolcraft's  Narrative  Journal  of  Travels  in  1820  shows  a 
coal  mine  at  the  junction  of  the  Fox  and  Illinois  rivers. 
Schoolcraft  writes,  "There  is  a  valuable  and  extensive  bed 
of  mineral  coal,  about  forty  miles  southwest  of  Chicago  on  the 
Fox  river  of  the  Illinois,  near  the  point  of  embouchure.  The 
stratum  of  coal,  which  appears  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  is 
said  to  have  an  extensive  range  towards  the  northwest,  and 
is  only  covered  by  a  light  deposit  of  alluvial  soil,  of  a  few  feet 
in  thickness." 

All  the  early  explorers  and  travellers  refer  to  outcrops 
as  mines  although  no  mining  had  been  done  in  them. 

A  description  of  Illinois  Territory  in  "A  History  of 
America"  published  in  1820  says,  "Coal  was  observed  extend- 
ing half  a  mile  along  the  high  bank  of  the  north-western  side 
of  the  Illinois  river,  276  miles  from  its  outlet,  50  miles  above 
Pioria  lake,  and  near  the  Little  Eocks,  which  are  60  miles 
from  Forks.  It  is  also  found  on  the  La  Vase,  or  Muddy 
river."  The  same  volume  quoting  Mr.  Fearon  says,  "The 
inhabitants  of  Illinois  may,  perhaps  be  ranked  as  follows : 
First,  the  Indian  hunters.  2nd,  The  "Squatters"  who  are 
half -civilized  and  half-savage.  3d,  A  medley  of  land  jobbers, 
lawyers,  doctors  and  farmers,  who  traverse  this  immense 
country,  founding  settlements,  and  engaging  in  all  kinds  of 
speculation.  4th,  Some  old  French  settlers,  possessed  of  con- 
siderable property,  and  living  in  ease  and  comfort."  Beck's 
Gazetteer  of  Illinois  and  Missouri  published  in  1823  shows 


HISTORY  15 

that  at  that  time  there  existed  a  realization  of  the  wide  extent 
of  workable  coal  seams.  Speaking  of  the  Illinois  river,  Beck 
says,  "Coal  is  very  abundant  on  this  stream,  and  is  valuable 
on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  timber."  His  references  to  coal 
in  the  various  counties  are  as  follows : 

"Clark  County.    Coal  is  very  abundant. 

Greene  County.  The  banks  of  the  Mississippi  in  the  south- 
erly part  of  this  country  are  generally  composed  of  perpen- 
dicular cliffs,  varying  in  height  from  80  to  150  feet,  consisting 
of  horizontal  strata  of  sand  and  stone,  limestone,  slate  and 
coal — Although  the  latter  does  not  appear  on  the  face  of  the 
cliffs,  it  is  found  in  great  abundance  a  short  distance  from  it 
near  Alton.  I  would  remark  that  coal  is  also  found  similarly 
situated  on  the  banks  of  Kickapoo  Creek,  a  small  stream 
emptying  into  the  Illinois  near  Fort  Clark. 

Jackson  County.  Muddy  river,  which  meanders  through 
the  interior  of  this  county,  is  navigable  for  a  considerable 
distance,  and  affords  to  the  inhabitants  every  facility  for 
exporting  their  surplus  produce.  On  this  stream,  near 
Brownsville,  there  is  a  saline,  which  has  been  leased  for  10 
years.  A  large  body  of  good  stone  coal  is  also  said  to  exist 
about  25  miles  up  this  stream  from  which  the  smiths  in  the 
vicinity  receive  their  supplies,  and  some  is  even  taken  to  New 
Orleans. 

Pike  County.  At  different  places  on  the  Illinois,  there 
are  immense  strata  of  coal,  of  the  best  quality. 

Sangamon  County.    Coal  is  also  abundant. 

He  makes  further  mention  of  the  coal  resources  in  his 
description  of  towns,  creeks,  and  rivers,  as  follows : 

Alton.  Stone  coal,  of  a  good  quality,  is  found  in  abun- 
dance at  a  short  distance  from  this  place. 

Big  Muddy  river.  About  25  miles  from  its  mouth,  stone 
coal  of  a  good  quality,  is  found  in  a  sufficient  quantity  to 
supply  the  surrounding  country,  and  afford  a  surplus  for 
exportation. 

Cahokia.  Cahokia,  a  post  village  in  St.  (lair  county, 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and  five 
miles  south  of  St.  Louis:    Coal  is  found  in  the  vicinity  of  this 


16  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

place.  Its  discovery  was  singular  and  deserves  to  be  men- 
tioned.   (Here  he  repeats  the  story  of  the  burning  tree.) 

Chicago  Creek.  This  stream  has,  for  nearly  a  century, 
been  one  of  the  most  common  routes  to  the  Illinois  and  Missis- 
sippi. The  greatest  proportion  of  the  furs  of  the  northwest 
are  conveyed  through  this  channel  to  the  lower  lakes. 

Crooked  Creek.  Coal  abounds  on  the  banks  of  Crooked 
Creek. 

Fox  Eiver.  (Beck  quotes  Schoolcraft's  statement  given 
on  page  14.) 

Kickapoo  or  Eedbud  Creek.  On  the  banks  of  this 
stream  is  an  extensive  bed  of  coal,  which  furnished  fuel  to  the 
garrison  and  the  inhabitants  of  Peoria.  The  stratum  is  about 
12  or  14  feet  below  the  surface,  and  is  overlaid  by  slate,  lime- 
stone, and  sandstone. 

Otter  Creek.  Coal  is  found  in  abundance  on  the  banks  of 
this  stream. 

Peoria.  A  small  settlement  in  Pike  county  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Illinois  river,  about  200  miles  above  its  junction 
with  the  Mississippi.  This  section  of  country  is  not  very 
rich  in  minerals.  Coal,  however,  is  abundant  on  the  banks  of 
Kickapoo  creek,  about  one  mile  above  its  mouth.  It  was  first 
discovered  by  the  soldiers  stationed  at  the  fort  (Clark),  and 
being  of  a  good  quality,  was  used  by  them  for  fuel.  It  is  found 
12  or  14  feet  below  the  surface ;  it  is  overlaid  by  slate,  lime- 
stone and  sandstone ;  and  contains  vegetable  remains. 

Spoon  river.  Coal,  of  a  very  fine  quality,  is  abundant  on 
the  banks  of  this  stream  and  will  be  valuable,  on  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  timber,  particularly  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
military  tract. 

Sugar  Creek.  A  small  stream  in  the  western  parts  of 
Madison  and  Washington  counties.  Coal  is  found  in  great 
abundance  on  the  banks  of  this  stream.' ' 

By  1830  the  use  of  local  coal  by  blacksmiths  was  quite 
general  and  in  that  year  Joshua  Hughes,  a  blacksmith  of  Cen- 
terville,  St.  Clair  County,  began  taking  coal  from  a  hill  side, 
about  a  half  mile  southeast  of  Centerville.1 


'History   of   St.    Clair   County.      MacDonough,    1881. 


HISTORY  17 

The  increasing  use  of  coal  and  the  beginning  of  an  indus- 
trial demand  for  it  are  shown  in  Peck's  "A  Guide  for  Emi- 
grants", published  in  1831.  Referring  to  Jackson  County 
Peck  says : 

"It  is  watered  by  Muddy  river  and  its  branches.  Twelve 
miles  up  the  stream  is  the  village  of  Brownsville.  The  village 
now  contains  only  fifteen  to  twenty  families ;  but  the  prepar- 
ations that  are  making  to  manufacture  salt,  and  dig  coal  will 
be  likely  to  cause  an  increase. ' ' 

Describing  Belleville  and  its  industries  he  states: 

"It  has  a  steam  flouring  mill,  which  makes  thirty  barrels 
of  flour  per  day.  The  engine  is  of  twelve  horse  power.  The 
fire  consumes  two  cords  of  wood  and  seven  bushels  of  bitumin- 
ous coal  in  twenty-four  hours.  The  wood  costs  one  dollar  per 
cord,  and  the  coal  five  and  one  half  cents  per  bushel,  and  is 
hauled  live  miles  from  the  bluff s." 

With  reference  to  the  widespread  occurrence  of  coal 
Peck  says : 

"Stone  coal  abounds  in  Illinois.  It  may  be  seen  frequent- 
ly in  the  ravines  and  gullies,  and  in  the  points  of  the  bluff. 
Exhaustless  beds  of  this  article  exist  in  the  bluffs  of  St.  Clair 
County,  bordering  the  American  Bottom,  of  which  large  quan- 
tities are  transported  to  St.  Louis  for  fuel.  It  sells  in  St. 
Louis  from  ten  to  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel.  From 
twelve  to  fifteen  large  ox  waggons  are  employed  most  of  the 
year  in  hauling  it  to  market,  the  distance  of  seven  miles 
across  the  American  Bottom.  There  is  scarcely  a  county  in 
the  State  but  what  can  furnish  coal  in  reasonable  quantities. 
Large  beds  are  said  to  exist  near  the  junction  of  Fox  river 
with  the  Illinois  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rapids  of  the  latter." 

Tanner  in  "A  view  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi," 
published  in  1834,  says : 

"Bituminous  coal  is  found  abundantly  in  all  parts  of  this 
state,  in  the  bluffs,  and  the  banks  of  the  water  courses.  On 
the  Illinois,  and  opposite  to  St.  Louis,  in  St.  Clair  county,  it  is 
very  abundant.  And  many  thousands  of  bushels  are  sent  to 
St.  Louis  annually,  and  sold  at  the  rate  of  from  ten  to  twelve 
and  a  half  cents  per  bushel." 


18  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

In  1834,  G.  W.  Featherstonhaugh  made  a  geological  re- 
port on  parts  of  Illinois.  He  states,  "  During  my  late  tour  I 
had  occasion  to  examine  the  bituminous  coal  beds  in  various 
parts  of  Illinois;  and  in  the  bluff,  distant  about  seven  miles 
east  from  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  a  fine  vein  about  eight  feet 
thick  is  opened  for  the  consumption  of  the  city." 

Because  the  water  courses  were  the  only  ways  along 
which  the  products  of  the  country  could  be  transported  the 
movement  of  freight  was  of  necessity  southward.  The  need 
of  an  outlet  for  freight  into  Lake  Michigan  became  apparent 
early  and  in  1816  the  project  of  uniting  the  waters  of  Lake 
Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river  was  conceived  and  grew  in 
popularity.  In  1823  the  route  was  explored  by  a  board  of 
commissioners  and  engineers  who  estimated  the  cost.  At  a 
special  session  of  the  legislature  an  act  was  passed  in  Janu- 
ary, 1836,  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  canal.  At  this 
period  in  the  United  States  every  class  was  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  speculation  and  schemes  of  internal  improvement 
absorbed  the  whole  public  attention.  The  canal  scheme  of 
Illinois  combined  with  its  plan  for  further  internal  improve- 
ments proved  lacking  in  practical  utility  and  resulted  in  disas- 
trous consequences. 

Brown  in  his  "History  of  Illinois"  published  in  1844  says : 

"The  route  of  the  canal  was  principally  over  marshy 
ground,  covered,  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time  with 
water.  Access  to  it  was  exceedingly  difficult,  and  to  facilitate 
the  work,  and  enable  the  contractors  to  proceed,  forty  thous- 
and dollars  and  upward,  were  expended  by  the  acting  com- 
missioner, during  the  first  year,  upon  a  road  leading  thither. 

The  country  along  its  route  was,  at  that  time,  in  a  state 
of  nature.  Four  years  had  scarcely  elapsed,  since  it  had  been 
the  theatre  of  an  Indian  massacre,  and  the  whole  of  its  scat- 
tered population  had  sought  refuge  from  savage  fury,,  beneath 
the  guns  of  Fort  Dearborn.  Instead  of  supplying  the  con- 
tractors with  provisions,  they  were  supplied  themselves,  from 
Michigan,  Ohio,  and  even  from  New  York.  Having  no  sur- 
plus for  market  and  there  being,  at  that  time,  but  few  settlers 
in  the  country,  the  necessity,  or  rather  the  utility  of  a  canal, 
at  that  particular  time,  was  more  apparent  to  the  owners  of 


HISTORY  19 

'corner  lots,'  and  'water  lots,'  than  to  the  candid  or  judicious 
observer." 

Kailroad  construction,  to  the  amount  of  1341  miles,  was 
authorized  in  1837.  The  scheme  as  a  whole,  characterized  by 
Brown  as  an  absurdity,  collapsed  and  in  1842  the  State  had  to 
show  for  a  debt  of  12  million  dollars,  one  railroad  only,  from 
Springfield  to  Meredosia  and  the  whole  income  of  the  railroad 
was  insufficient  to  keep  it  in  repair.  The  canal  was  finally 
completed  and  opened  in  1848.  It  was  a  disappointment  be- 
cause the  upper  Illinois  needed  much  artificial  aid  for  naviga- 
tion. 

During  this  period  of  expansion  and  speculation  the  coal 
mining  industry  was  affected  by  the  general  tendency  towards 
inflation  and  owners  of  small  mines  desired  to  increase  their 
production  as  shown  by  the  following  letter  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Franklin  Institute  for  1836: 

"To  the  committee  on  Publication 

Gentlemen — I  have  received  the  following  information 
in  relation  to  a  locality  of  coal  in  Illinois,  from  Mr.  Hall  Neil- 
son,  of  Kichmond,  Virginia,  and  consider  it  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  ask  you  to  place  it  on  the  pages  of  your  Journal  for 
permanent  reference.  The  coal  alluded  to  is  a  dry  bituminous 
coal,  of  which  specimens  have  been  placed  in  the  Cabinet  of 
the  Franklin  Institute,  and  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society. 

The  Mount  Carbon  Coal  Mines  are  on  the  margin  of  Big 
Muddy  River,  near  Brownsville,  Jackson  County,  Illinois,  a 
short  distance  from  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi  River. 

The  upper  stratum  of  coal  which  is  now  opened,  and  has 
been  worked  on  a  limited  scale  for  many  years,  is  about  six 
or  seven  feet  thick,  and  lies  in  a  horizontal  position  above  high 
water  mark,  leaving  room  for  wharfage  between  the  river  and 
the  mines.  This  coal  combines  the  qualities  of  the  anthracite 
with  pure  charcoal  with  a  remarkable  freedom  from  sulphur, 
slate,  and  other  impurities,  makes  an  open  fire,  ignites  very 
easily,  and  burns  with  much  flame,  and  a  strong  heat,  produc- 
ing little  smoke,  cinder,  or  ashes.  These  rare  qualities  render 
this  coal  of  great  value,  and  importance  in  the  manufacture  of 
iron  and  steel,  and  particularly  so,  in  the  production  of  steam. 


20  COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 

Coal  must  ere  long,  be  generally  adopted  for  the  use  of  steam- 
boats, and  sugar  plantations,  on  the  Mississippi,  and  for  foun- 
dries, steam  mills,  sugar  refineries,  cotton  presses,  and  other 
works  at  New  Orleans ;  there  would,  besides,  if  this  coal  were 
in  the  market  be  a  large  demand  for  the  outward  bound  ship- 
ping from  that  port,  and  as  ballast  for  those  in  the  Havana 
and  South  American  trade,  indeed  the  demand  may  be  con- 
sidered almost  unlimited. 

Tt  is  understood,  that  the  present  proprietor  of  these 
mines  wishes  that  their  working  should  be  undertaken  by  a 
company,  to  form  which  he  has  made  arrangements. 

A  Correspondent.  " 

In  the  "History  of  St.  Clair  County"  the  information  is 
given  that,  ' '  Pittsburg  is  situated  on  the  bluff,  in  the  extreme 
eastern  portion  of  Cahokia  precinct,  in  sec.  3.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  1836,  and  at  one  time  had  a  population  of  upwards 
of  200  inhabitants,  mostly  coal  miners.  Coal  was  obtained 
here  by  drifting  into  the  bluff,  where  in  places  it  cropped  out 
to  the  surface.  As  many  as  seven  drifts  have  been  in  oper- 
ation at  one  time,  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  cars  of  coal  mined 
in  one  day;  but  for  several  years  the  mines  have  been  ex- 
hausted and  abandoned." 

Peck's  "New  Guide  for  Emigrants  in  the  West"  pub- 
lished in  1836  states:  "There  is  scarce  a  county  in  the  State, 
but  what  can  furnish  coal,  in  reasonable  quantities.  Large 
beds  are  said  to  exist,  near  the  Vermilion  of  the  Illinois,  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  rapids  of  the  later."  Peck  gave  the 
following  table  for  increase  of  population  in  Illinois : 

1810  12  282 

1820  55,211 

1830  157,575 

1835  272,427 

He  refers  to  Chicago  as  the  largest  commercial  town, 
saying,  "It  is  situated  at  the  junction  of  North  and  South 
branches,  and  along  the  main  Chicago,  near  its  entrance  into 
lake  Michigan,  on  a  level  prairie  but  elevated  above  the  high- 
est floods.  A  recent  communication  from  a  respectable  mer- 
cantile house,  gives  the  following  statistics:  'Fifty-one  stores, 
30  groceries,   10  taverns,   12  physicians,   21   attorneys,   and 


HISTORY  21 

4,000  inhabitants.  We  have  four  churches,  and  two  more 
building,  one  bank,  a  Marine  and  Fire  insurance  company 
about  to  go  into  operation,  and  a  brick  hotel,  containing  90 
apartments. ' 

There  were  9  arrivals  and  departures  of  steamboats  in 
1835,  and  267  of  brigs  and  schooners,  containing  5,015  tons 
of  merchandise  and  9,400  barrels  of  salt,  besides  lumber,  pro- 
visions, etc. ' '  He  records  an  abundance  of  coal  in  the  follow- 
ing counties :  Bond,  Calhoun,  Greene,  Jackson,  La  Salle,  Madi- 
son, Monroe,  Putnam  and  St.  Clair. 

In  18371  the  first  railroad  in  the  Mississippi  Valley 
called  the  Coal  Mine  Bluffs  Railroad,  was  constructed  for  the 
purpose  of  delivering  coal  from  the  bluffs  of  the  American 
Bottom  to  St.  Louis.  "It  was  built  by  Governor  Keynolds, 
Samuel  B.  Chandler,  George  Walker  and  Daniel  Pierce.  In 
'My  Own  Times',  Governor  Reynolds  says:  'I  had  a  large 
tract  of  land  located  on  the  Mississippi  Bluff,  six  miles  from 
St.  Louis,  which  contained  in  it  inexhaustible  quantities  of 
bituminous  coal.  This  coal  mine  was  the  nearest  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  of  any  other  on  this  side  of  the  Mississippi  River.  I  had 
also  most  of  the  land  on  which  a  railroad  might  be  constructed 
to  convey  the  coal  into  market.  Under  these  circumstances, 
a  few  others  with  myself,  decided  to  construct  a  railroad  from 
the  bluff  to  the  Mississippi,  opposite  St.  Louis.  This  road  was 
about  six  miles  long,  and  although  short,  the  engineer  made 
an  erroneous  calculation  of  the  cost — making  the  estimate  be- 
ing less  than  one-half  of  the  real  cost,  We  all  embarked  in  this 
enterprise  when  we  knew  very  little  about  the  construction  of 
a  railroad,  or  the  capacity  of  the  market  for  the  use  of  the 
coal.  In  fact,  the  company  had  nothing  but  an  excessive 
amount  of  energy  and  vigor,  together  with  some  wealth  and 
standing,  with  which  to  construct  the  road;  and  we  accom- 
plished it.  We  were  forced  to  bridge  a  lake  over  2,000  feet 
across,  and  we  drove  down  piles  more  than  eighty  feet  into 
the  mud  and  water  of  the  lake,  on  which  to  erect  the  bridge. 
We  put  three  piles  on  the  top  of  one  another,  fastened  the 
ends  together,  battering  the  piles  down  with  a  metal  battering- 
ram  of  1,400  pounds  weight.     The  members  of  the  company 


'St.  Clair  County  History.     MacDonough. 


22  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

themselves  hired  the  hands — at  times  one  hundred  a  day — and 
overlooked  the  work.  They  built  shanties  to  board  the  hands 
in,  and  procured  provisions  and  lodging  for  them.  They 
graded  the  track,  cut  and  hauled  timber,  piled  the  lake,  built 
the  road,  and  had  it  running  in  one  season  of  the  year  1837. 
This  work  was  performed  in  opposition  to  much  clamor 
against  it,  that  it  would  not  succeed,  that  we  would  break  at 
it,  and  such  predictions.  We  had  not  the  means  nor  the  time 
in  one  year  to  procure  the  iron  for  the  rails,  or  the  locomotive, 
so  we  were  compelled  to  work  the  road  without  iron,  and  with 
horse-power.  We  did  so,  and  delivered  much  coal  to  the 
river.  It  was  strange  how  it  was  possible  we  could  construct 
the  road  under  these  circumstances.  It  was  the  first  railroad 
built  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  such  an  improvement  was 
new  to  every  one,  as  well  as  to  our  company.  The  members 
of  the  company  and  I — one  of  them — lay  out  on  the  premises 
of  the  road  day  and  night  while  the  work  was  progressing; 
and  I  assert  that  it  was  the  greatest  work  or  enterprise  ever 
performed  in  Illinois  under  the  circumstances.  But  it  well- 
nigh  broke  us  all.'  " 

The  growth  of  Chicago,  the  beginning  of  work  on  the 
Illinois-Michigan  canal,  and  the  settlement  of  new  towns  at- 
tracted attention  to  various  unworked  coal  deposits  in  the 
State.  Mitchell  in  ' '  Illinois  in  1837&8, ' '  refers  to  coal  in  Rock 
Island  County  as  follows :  "Iron  ore  and  stone-coal  are  found 
in  several  places  along  the  Upper  Rapids  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  latter  article,  of  a  good  quality,  prevades  the  Rock  river 
bluffs  extensively  and  will,  before  long,  become  a  very  im- 
portant article  of  trade  with  the  lead-mines,  where  the  country 
is  destitute  of  it.  The  recent  improvement  in  smelting  fui 
naces,  and  the  contemplated  introduction  of  steam-engines 
to  drain  the  mines  on  the  plan  of  the  miners  of  Cornwall, 
England,  which  must  take  place  before  long,  will  cause  the 
consumption  of  an  immense  quantity  of  stone-coal.  They  now 
send  to  St.  Louis  for  it,  and  freight  it  up  stream  500  miles. 
It  will  not  be  many  years  before  the  business  of  smelting  will 
be  done  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  for  nearly  all  the  lead 
regions  above,  from  the  circumstances  that  the  mineral  can 
be  much  easier  floated  down  to  the  fuel,  than  the  fuel  can  be 


HISTORY  23 

freighted  up  to  the  mineral.  This  will  throw  into  the  lately 
located  seat  of  justice  of  Rock  Island  county  an  immense 
trade,  which  is  not  generally  looked  upon  as  being  alienable 
from  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  mines." 

Describing  the  town  of  Rock  Island,  Mitchell  states, 
"The  country  in  the  vicinity  is  abundantly  supplied  with 
timber,  limestone,  and  coal.  There  have  been  several  boat 
loads  of  coal  taken  from  there  this  season  to  Galena,  it  being 
the  nearest  coal  to  that  point  yet  discovered.  The  company 
who  own  this  site  obtained  a  charter  at  the  last  session  of 
the  legislature,  for  a  canal  to  run  from  Rock  river  to  the 
Mississippi,  terminating  at  this  point,  leaving  Rock  river  at 
the  head  of  the  rapids,  avoiding  the  only  serious  obstacle  to 
the  navigation  of  that  stream  by  a  canal  of  only  four  miles  in 
length.  This  will  open  through  Milan  all  the  trade  of  the 
Pekatonica  and  Rock  river  country,  which  is  one  of  the  best 
agricultural  districts  in  the  state.  The  transportation  of 
coal  alone  would  make  the  stock  of  this  canal  good  property, 
there  being  inexhaustible  beds  along  the  whole  length  of  it." 
This  publication  also  refers  to  "a  large  vein  of  coal,  several 
feet  thick,  and  apparently  exhaustless,"  which  was  struck 
in  excavating  the  Illinois-Michigan  canal,  at  a  point  a  few 
miles  below  Ottawa.  It  also  states  that  a  bed  of  anthracite 
coal  was  discovered  on  Muddy  river  in  Jackson  County  and 
that  "the  stone  coal  near  Peoria  is  said  to  be  little  inferior 
to  that  of  Pittsburg  and  is  found  in  the  bluffs  of  all  the 
creeks  and  Illinois  river.  It  is  generally  used  for  fuel  at 
Peoria  in  winter;  is  hauled  from  one  to  three  miles,  and  is 
worth  12  cents  per  bushel. 

At  Alton  brick  at  the  kiln  sell  for  7  to  0  dollars  per  1000; 
pine  boards  25  to  40  per  1000  (they  arc  brought  from  the 
Ohio  river);  wood  for  fuel,  $3  per  cord;  coal,  20  cents  per 
bushel.  The  latter  is  obtained  from  the  hills,  one  mile  in  the 
rear  of  the  town;  and  both  wood  and  coal  can  be  got  for  very 
little  more  than  the  cost  of  cutting,  digging,  and  hauling.  The 
comparatively  high  price  at  which  both  sell  will  furnish  an- 
other evidence  of  the  high  prices  of  labour  and  assure  eastern 
labourers,  who  are  working  at  this  season  of  the  year  for  40 
cents  a  day  that  here  thev  may  soon  realize  a  little  fortune. 


24  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

This  city  is  surrounded  for  several  miles  in  extent  with 
cne  of  the  finest  bodies  of  timber  in  the  state,  from  which  vast 
quantities  of  lumber  may  be  produced.  Bituminous  coal  ex- 
ists in  great  abundance  at  only  a  short  distance  from  the 
town. 

Peru  is  the  point  of  termination  of  the  Illinois  and  Mich- 
igan canal  and  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  most  fertile  re- 
gion, abounding  in  grain,  in  coal,  in  iron,  and  in  hydraulic 
power.  These  things  being  considered,  is  it  wrong  to  sup- 
pose that  a  large  inland  city  will  here  arise ? ' ' 

The  possibilities  of  Chicago  as  a  future  coal  market  were 
foreseen  in  the  following  article  on  the  Geology  of  Upper 
Illinois  which  appeared  in  1838  in  Silliman's  American  Jour- 
nal of  Science,  Vol.  XXXIV. 

"Another  point  of  interest  occurs  in  the  topography  of 
the  valley  just  before  we  reach  Rockwell.  It  is  where  the 
Cosogin  river  cuts  the  bluff  and  enters  the  meadows. 

The  mineral  resources  so  remarkably  accumulated  at  this 
point,  the  future  development  of  which  is  destined  to  confer 
upon  Rockwell  numerous  commercial  and  manufacturing  ad- 
vantages. 

It  is  within  a  few  rods  only  of  the  eastern  extremity  of 
the  Consogin  basin,  that  the  largest  out-crop  of  coal  in  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois  occurs.  A  ravine  will  be  noticed  as  one 
descends  from  the  high  prairie,  at  a  distance  of  about  seven- 
ty rods  from  the  eastern  boundaries  of  Rockwell.  This  is  the 
Swanson  ravine.  Its  bed  is  entirely  within  the  coal  strata, 
and  very  nearly  conforms  in  direction  to  their  basseting  edges. 
The  slopes  of  the  ravine  consist  superficially,  to  a  consider- 
able extent,  of  soil  and  loose  materials.  Slight  excavations, 
however,  are  all  that  is  requisite  to  reveal  the  strata,  which,  on 
the  west  side  at  least  are  uniform  and  continuous  to  the  val- 
ley. Commencing  at  the  mouth  of  the  ravine  on  its  western 
side,  we  have  a  good  view  of  the  position  of  the  coal-bed, 
where  it  has  been  partially  laid  open,  for  supplying  to  some 
extent  fuel  to  the  vicinity,  especially  for  blacksmithing  pur- 
poses. 

I  can  only  state  what  I  was  able  to  learn  from  others 
respecting  its  course  beyond  Vermilionville.     Abundance  of 


HISTORY  25 

coal  is  said  to  occur  at  several  points  for  ten  or  twelve  miles 
up  the  river,  all  of  which  may  reasonably  be  considered  as  be- 
longing to  one  and  the  same  stratum.  Indeed  it  is  not  impos- 
sible that  future  researches  will  prove  the  extension  of  the 
present  outcrop  quite  across  the  country,  even  to  the  "Wabash, 
in  Indiana. 

A  partial  digging  has  been  made  into  the  bituminous 
shale  and  coal-seam  of  Eockwell. 

And  inasmuch  as  borings  for  salt  have  been  made  to  the 
depth  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
river,  at  a  place  five  miles  west  of  Ottawa,  near  Starved  Rock, 
we  are  able  to  say,  that  the  coal  is  not  repeated  for  a  depth  of 
at  least  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  sandstone  being  the  only 
rock  for  the  whole  of  this  depth. 

We  shall  now  treat  of  the  economical  value  of  the  coal  to 
this  region.  Bituminous  coal  is  valuable  in  every  part  of  our 
country;  but  to  a  rich  prairie  section,  where  the  climate  in 
winter  is  severe,  and  where  wood  is  scarcely  abundant  enough 
to  supply  materials  for  fencing  and  building,  its  importance 
is  almost  incapable  of  being  exaggerated. 

The  deposit,  upon  which  main  reliance  is  likely  to  be 
placed  for  coal,  at  least  for  a  considerable  time  to  come,  is 
the  stratum  which  crops  out  in  the  Swanson  ravine.  This 
bed  will  probably  be  found  workable  under  the  entire  tract, 
bounded  by  the  ravine  on  the  east  and  the  Little  Vermilion  on 
the  west.  At  what  depth  below  the  surface  it  will  be  found, 
situated  on  the  western  portion  of  this  tract,  it  is  of  course 
impossible  to  say;  but  from  what  is  known  of  coal-fields  in 
other  countries,  we  are  authorized  in  believing  that  as  the 
bed  is  worked  down,  its  present  pitch  will  alter,  and  that  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  ravine  it  will  assume  a  horizontal 
position. 

The  thin  horizontal  bed  of  coal  which  has  been  opened  at 
so  many  points  between  Utica  and  Ottawa,  and  which  is  work- 
ed at  several  openings  near  the  latter  place,  is  undoubtedly 
capable  of  furnishing  a  large  supply  of  this  fuel.  But  the 
difference  of  expense  in  working  a  thin  and  a  thick  stratum 
is  so  great,  especially  where  the  thin  bed,  as  in  the  present 
instance  is  horizontal  in  position,  and  overlaid  by  a  vase  ac- 


26  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

cumulation  of  fissile  strata,  that  it  gives  to  the  main  deposit 
an  obvious  superiority.  It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  the  canal 
commissioners  have  judged  correctly,  in  affixing  a  high  valu- 
ation to  the  coal-mines  of  the  state  on  section  thirteen. 

The  coal  at  Vermilionville,  besides  being  a  number  of 
miles  from  navigable  water,  is  so  situated,  with  regard  to  the 
bed  of  the  river  in  which  it  occurs,  as  to  render  its  exploration 
unusually  inconvenient  and  expensive.  It  will  not,  therefore, 
be  likely  to  come  into  market,  until  the  supply  near  the  canal 
and  the  Illinois  river  has  been  to  a  degree  exhausted.  No  coal 
is  obtained  from  down  the  river  short  of  Henry ;  nor  even  at 
this  place  within  several  miles  of  the  river. 

It  appears  quite  certain  therefore,  that  Chicago  and  the 
legion  bordering  on  the  upper  lakes  are  destined,  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  canal,  to  receive  their  bituminous  fuel  very 
largely  from  Rockwell  and  its  immediate  vicinity,  since  there 
is  little  prospect  of  the  discovery  of  any  nearer  source  of  sup- 
ply. At  present,  the  region  referred  to,  is  furnished  by  the 
coal  mines  of  Ohio  and  Erie  canal.  It  would  seem,  however, 
that  coal  can  be  delivered  cheaper  at  Chicago  from  Rockwell, 
than  at  Cleveland,  for  although  the  distance  is  the  same,  yet 
the  dimensions  of  the  Chicago  canal  and  its  smaller  amount 
of  lockage,  will  give  it  a  decided  advantage  over  the  Erie  canal 
in  the  expense  of  transportation.1 

The  ease  with  which  it  burns  and  the  abundant  flame  it 
emits,  must  serve  to  render  it  a  most  valuable  fuel.  For  while 
it  will  afford  a  warm  and  cheerful  fuel  for  the  grate,  it  is  pe- 
culiarly adapted  also  to  steam  boilers,  and  to  all  the  operations 
of  heating  and  evaporating  fluids.  It  will  also  give  rise  to  a 
coke  of  a  medium  quality,  the  presence  of  iron-pyrites  not  be- 
ing found  so  considerable  as  to  interfere  with  its  employment 
by  the  blacksmiths  of  the  country,  who  prefer  it  indeed  in 
their  work,  to  charcoal. 

The  quality  of  coal,  so  far  as  can  be  determined  from  the 
limited  exploration  thus  far  made  of  the  Illinois  beds  is  in  no 
way  inferior  to  that  of  the  Ohio  coal. 


^'Coal  is  raised  and  delivered  to  the  boats  in  Ohio,  at  four  cents  the  bushel.     It  sells 
in    Cleveland   at   from   fourteen   to    sixteen    cents,   and   in    Chicago,   at   fifty." 


HISTORY  27 

One  cubic  foot  of  this  coal  will,  therefore,  weigh 
79S,  pounds,  which  will  give  for  a  bed  six  feet  thick  in 
one  acre,  nine  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty  one  tons. ' ' 

By  1838  the  general  distribution  of  coal  under  nearly  all 
of  the  State  had  been  proved.  James  Hall  in  "Notes  on  the 
Western  States  in  1838,"  says:  "As  for  fuel,  there  is  no 
difficulty.  No  part  of  this  country  has  been  explored  in  which 
coal  does  not  abound;  it  is  found  in  the  broken  lands  and 
bluff  banks  of  all  our  large  water  courses,  and  though  seldom 
met  with  within  the  area  of  a  prairie  it  abounds  on  the  bor- 
ders of  all  the  streams  which  meander  among  these  plains. 
That  it  has  not  been  brought  into  use,  at  all,  is  a  proof  of  what 
we  have  asserted,  viz.  that  wood  is  abundant." 

Water  transportation  was  still  a  factor  and  St.  Louis 
was  demanding  more  coal  each  year  so  that,  although  the 
possibilities  of  the  northern  part  of  Illinois  were  realized,  new 
mines  were  constantly  being  opened  in  southern  Illinois. 

The  "History  of  St.  Clair  County"  gives  the  following- 
biography  of  John  Schultz:  "For  sixteen  years  he  hauled 
coal  from  the  bluffs  to  St.  Louis.  He  followed  this  business 
in  winter.  The  occupation  was  not  the  easiest.  Coal  brought, 
in  St.  Louis,  from  eight  to  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  bushel. 
In  1840,  after  his  father's  death,  he  rented  a  farm  on  the 
bluffs,  below  Caseyville,  where  the  Sweigart  stone  house  now 
is,  and  mined  coal,  bought  teams,  and  hauled  the  coal  to  St. 
Louis  on  his  own  account.  This  occupation  was  heavy  and 
laborious,  but  profitable.  In  1844  he  bought  eighty  acres  of 
land,  in  section  fourteen  of  township  two  north,  range  nine 
west,  for  twelve  dollars  and  a  half  an  acre,  which,  at  that  time, 
was  considered  a  high  price." 

Jones  in  "Illinois  and  the  West"  published  in  L838  tells 
of  the  markets  for  Illinois  products  in  that  period  as  follows: 
"It  may  not  be  irrelevant  to  put  in  a  note  in  this  place;  giv- 
ing some  information  as  to  the  market  in  Illinois.  On  all  the 
great  water  courses,  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans  are  the 
great  focuses  to  which  nearly  all  the  surplus  produce  will  go. 
Rock  River,  at  least  the  upper  part  of  it,  Fox  river,  and  the 
whole  neighborhood  of  the  lake  and  the  great  canal  which  is  to 
connect  the  Illinois  with  Lake  Michigan,  form  an  exception 


28  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

to  this  general  rule.  To  all  this  region,  embracing  the  north- 
eastern part  of  Illinois,  the  northern  part  of  Indiana,  the 
northwestern  part  of  Michigan,  and  the  southeastern  part  of 
Wisconsin,  the  northern  markets,  via  the  lakes,  offer  the 
greatest  inducements,  and  must  eventually  attract  and  mon- 
opolize the  largest  portion  of  the  production  of  these  terri- 
tories. But,  at  present,  there  is  a  home  market  for  all  this 
region.  It  is  in  fact,  worthy  of  recollection,  that  bread  stuffs 
are  annually  imported  into  the  region  in  large  quantities, 
there  not  being  enough  raised  to  meet  the  consumption.  This 
is  owing  entirely  to  the  immense  tide  of  immigration,  which 
is  constantly  pouring  in  there,  and  consuming,  like  a  cloud  of 
locusts,  all  that  is  raised  and  much  more.  In  the  summer  of 
1838,  prior  to  the  time  of  harvests,  everything  bore  the  high- 
est prices.  Flour,  $14,  corn,  $1.50,  potatoes  $2,  and  so  on 
through  the  whole  list  of  prices  current.  And  this  market 
will  continue  for  years  to  come ;  and  long  before  the  produc- 
tion shall  exceed  the  consumption,  an  easy  and  cheap  egress 
in  the  northern  and  southern  markets  will  be  afforded  to  the 
producers/ ' 

All  mining  operations  were  along  the  water  courses  be- 
cause it  was  impossible  to  transport  coal  overland  for  any 
distance.  The  condition  of  the  roads  is  described  by  Jones. 
Writing  of  the  country  near  Peoria  he  says,  "Our  road 
through  the  timber  was  exceedingly  rough  and  tiresome. 
Road  it  ought  not  to  be  called,  track  is  a  fitter  name.  Not  a 
tree  had  been  fallen,  and  everyone  went  hither  and  thither 
among  the  trees,  in  search  of  a  better  path,  as  his  judgment 
dictated  or  his  horse  inclined.  Large  and  deep  holes,  still 
filled  with  water,  whose  surface  was  thickly  coated  with  green 
slime,  continually  obstructed  our  way.  Into  these  were  we 
occasionally  obliged  to  plunge,  much  to  our  own  annoyance, 
and  that  of  our  poor  animals,  who  were  ready  to  sink  under 
the  intense  heat." 

The  commercial  possibilities  of  the  southwest  portion  of 
the  State  were  estimated  by  Forrest  Shepherd,  Esq.  in  his 
report  and  map  (See  fig.  3)  in  1840  to  the  Boston  Association 
for  purchasing  Mineral  Property  in  Missouri  and  Illinois. 


HISTORY 


29 


Having  made  an  examination  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  these 
states   he  reports  on  Illinois  as  follows: 

"To  the  Boston  Association  for  purchasing  Mineral  Property 
in  Missouri  and  Illinois. 

Gentlemen: — It  seemed  very  desirable  to  add  some  con- 
venient workable  coal  beds  to  the  above  valuable  deposits  of 


F  ay  e 


u 


JeAfe 


Fig.  3.     Map  drawn  by  Shepard,   1840 

iron  ore;  and  having  by  repeated  and  laborious  explorations, 
satisfied  mvself  that  such  beds  do  not  exist  in  the  vicinity  of 


30  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

the  Missouri  Iron  Mountains,  nor  yet  between  those  mount- 
tains  and  Mississippi  river,  I  turned  my  attention  to  Illinois, 
where  the  first  thing  of  its  kind  worthy  of  note,  was  a  bed 
of  excellent  bituminous  coal,  very  free  from  sulphur  and 
earthy  impurities,  and  workable  8  feet  in  thickness  with- 
out intervention  of  slate.  Its  covering  is  a  thin  band  of  shale, 
and  above  that,  a  solid  limestone  rock. 

No.  13,  is  the  purchase  of  the  east  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  section  No.  29,  in  township  No.  6  south,  of  range  No. 
2  west,  containing  80  acres.  This  tract  lies  a  short  distance 
eastward  of  Beaucoup  creek,  and  the  above  coal  bed  under- 
lies the  surface  throughout,  a  little  above  the  level  of  the 
stream.  The  surface  of  this  tract  is  for  the  most  part  level, 
and  the  soil  is  of  the  very  first  quality  for  wheat  and  corn. 
The  above  creek  has  been  navigated  by  flat-boats  to  Browns- 
ville in  time  of  high  water. 

Nos.  14,  15,  16,  and  17  are  purchases  of  about  300  acres 
on  the  navigable  waters  of  Big  Muddy  river  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty. These  tracts  are  covered  with  a  large  growth  of  valuable 
timber,  and  possess  a  soil  second  to  none  in  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois ;  but  their  principal  value  consists  in  their  mineral  riches ; 
namely,  their  coal  and  iron  beds,  and  a  salt  region  beneath  the 
coal.  No.  17,  which  has  been  more  particularly  examined,  I 
shall  here  particularly  describe.  About  three  miles  above 
Brownsville,  the  county  seat,  immediately  upon  the  south 
bank  of  the  river,  in  the  south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  No.  9,  in  township  No.  9  south,  of  range  No.  2 
west,  and  a  few  feet  above  ordinary  water  level,  is  a  coal 
bed  presenting  a  breast  of  five  feet  in  thickness  of  excellent 
workable  coal.  Above  the  five  feet  of  coal,  comes  one  foot 
of  shale,  and  immediately  above  that  another  foot  of  good 
coal.  Directly  over  this  last  coal  seam  is  a  bed  of  the  argil- 
laceous carbonate  of  iron,  from  10  to  15  feet  in  thickness 
and  as  extensive  as  the  coal  formation.  The  ore  consists 
in  nodules  and  balls,  imbedded  in  soft  slate  or  clay,  and 
may  be  easily  excavated.  Both  the  coal  and  iron  beds,  with 
all  the  accompanying  strata,  rise  gradually  as  they  recede 
from  the  river,  so  as  to  afford  spontaneous  drainage  to  the 
levels  when  worked.     When  I  first  discovered  this  ore  bed, 


HISTORY  31 

I  felt  that  I  would  gladly  exchange  the  privilege  of  making 
iron  in  almost  any  other  place  for  the  opportunity  presented 
here.  For  with  one  hand,  I  could  reach  the  coal,  and  with 
the  other,  the  ore  containing  its  own  flux;  while  at  my  feet 
was  a  navigable  stream  for  a  great  part  of  the  year,  to 
carry  the  iron  to  market.  The  deposits  of  iron  ore  and  coal 
on  this  tract  alone,  I  am  confident  cannot  possibly  be  ex- 
hausted in  a  period  of  many  years.  A  little  higher  up  the 
river,  on  the  property  of  H.  Neilson,  Esq.,  the  above  coal  bed 
has  been  opened,  and  carried  in  boats  to  the  New  Orleans  mar- 
ket, where  I  am  informed  it  uniformly  commands  a  higher 
price  than  any  other  coal.  Specimens  of  the  coal  and  iron 
ore  are  in  possession  of  Professor  Shepard. 

Believing  that  a  point  on  the  Mississippi  river,  where  the 
products  of  both  States  may  be  concentrated  for  the  purposes 
of  manufacturing,  would  materially  enhance  the  value  of  the 
above  purchases,  the  young  but  enterprising  town  of  Chester 
was  accordingly  selected,  and, 

No.  18,  is  a  landing  on  the  Mississippi  of  two  acres,  not 
subject  to  inundation,  with  a  sufficient  depth  of  water  at  all 
times,  and  on  a  rock  foundation.  This  has  been  purchased  on 
certain  stipulated  conditions  for  the  Association,  for  the  pur- 
pose above-named,  and  if  necessary,  a  large  number  of  acres 
may  be  added  to  the  landing,  without  increasing  the  rate  of 
purchase  money  per  acre. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Forrest  Shepherd. 

(For  the  information  of  those  who  are  unacquainted  with 
Mr.  F.  Shepherd,  it  may  be  proper  to  state,  that  he  is  well  ac- 
quainted with  practical  geology  and  mineral  surveying,  and 
has  been  employed  for  several  years  past  by  different  mining- 
companies,  in  exploring  mineral  deposits.  He  is  permitted  to 
refer  to  Professor  Silliman  and  Olmsted,  and  President  Day, 
of  Yale  Col.  In  the  purchases  described  in  this  Report 
are  nearly  2000  acres  embracing  much  good  farming  land,  and 
eight  or  ten  mill  sites.)" 


32  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

The  analysis  of  Big  Muddy  Coal  made  by  Prof.  Charles 
V.  Shepard  and  included  in  the  report  checks  closely  with 
present  day  analyses : 

"Gentlemen: — I  beg  leave  to  offer  the  following  state- 
ment respecting  the  Ores  and  Coal  from  the  mining  tracts 
mentioned  in  the  foregoing  Report  of  Mr.  Forrest  Shepherd. 

3d.     Bituminous  Coal  and  Iron  Stone  of  Illinois. 

The  coal  of  Big  Muddy  and  Beaucoup  river  is  possessed 
of  very  promising  qualities.  Its  specific  gravity  is  1.31.  It  is 
rich  in  bituminous  matter,  burning  freely  and  with  a  bright 
flame,  without  at  the  same  time  being  so  redundant  in  bitumen 
as  to  melt  into  a  slag,  which  clogs  the  free  circulation  of  air 
among  the  fuel.  The  bituminous  and  volatile  matters  amount 
from  33.5  to  37.5  per  cent.,  and  the  carbon  or  combustible  por- 
tion of  the  coke,  equals  from  58  to  55  per  cent ;  while  the  earthy 
ash  which  remains,  rises  only  to  8.5  parts  in  the  hundred. 
The  specimens  presented  are  quite  free  from  sulphuret  of 
iron,  which  shows  that  this  coal  is  admirably  adapted  to  do- 
mestic and  metallurgical  uses." 

By  1840  the  coal  mining  industry  had  reached  considera- 
ble proportions.  MacGregor  in  ' '  Commercial  Statistics  of  All 
Nations,"  Vol.  3,  gives  the  following  data  on  coal  mining  in 
1840  copied  in  part  from  the  U.  S.  Census  Report. 

Aggregate  Value  of  Produce,  and  Number  of  Persons  Employed  in  the 

Mines  of  Illinois,  1840 

COAL 

Anthracite  Bituminous 

Tons    raised  No.  of  _     .    ,  No.  of  No.  of                    _,     ..   . 

.....  Capital  ,      .    .  Capital 

(28    bushels  men  .              ,  bushels  men                                   , 

,  .  .        .  invested  .      ,  ,        ,                 invested 

each)  employed  raised  employed 

132        2      424,187       152       120,076 

The  U.  S.  Census  Report  for  1840  credits  coal  mining  in 
Illinois  with  a  capitalization  of  $120,076,  with  152  employees 
and  with  a  production  of  424,187  bushels,  distributed  according 
to  the  following  table : 

Counties  Capital  Men  Bushels 

Adams 5  2,700 

Edwards   1  2,000 

Gallatin     2  1,500 

Henry   2  2,250 


HISTORY  33 

Counties  Capital  Men  Bushels 

Jackson    100,000  21  15,000 

Lawrence  110  6  1,650 

Madison   1,900  25  97,250 

Marshall     200  3  4,000 

Morgan    1,000  3  2,000 

Peoria    600  8  12,000 

Perry   1  1,500 

Randolph  525  11  6,011 

Sangamon    650  10  82,000 

Schuyler    10  5  5,230 

Scott   2,331  18  52,200 

Shelby    500  2  2,700 

St.  Clair  12,250  24  129,396 

Vermilion    . .  2  800 

Warren    ..  2,800 

Hunt's  Merchants  Magazine  for  1841  states:  "The  coal 
of  Illinois  is  of  the  bituminous  character,  and  lies  principally 
in  the  ravines  and  points  of  the  bluffs.  Exhaustless  beds  are 
found  in  the  bluffs  of  St.  Clair  county,  bordering  on  the 
American  Bottom,  and  large  quantities  are  carried  across  to 
St.  Louis,  for  fuel.  There  is,  however,  scarce  a  county  in  the 
state  in  which  it  does  not  abound.  The  quantity  dug  in  1839 
was  over  376,000  bushels. 

The  following  particulars   are  derived  from  a  tabular 
statement  prepared  by  J.  A.  Townsend,  of  Alton,  Illinois 
No.  of  persons  employed  in  mining 1,227" 

Mrs.  Steele  in  "A  Summer  Journey  in  the  West"  pub- 
lished in  1841  writes  of  Ottawa  thus :  "It  is  the  center  of  an 
extensive  coal  basin  which  cropt  out  in  various  places  in  the 
neighborhood.  Chicago  now  receives  supplies  of  that  article 
here,  which  she  once  obtained  from  Ohio." 

The  mines  in  the  vicinity  of  Ottawa  were  opened  on  the 
room-and-pillar  system  but  about  1870  were  changed  to  the 
longwall  system,  the  Oglesby  Coal  Company  being  among  the 
first  to  make  the  change  in  method  of  mining. 

The  development  of  the  industry  was  retarded  by  lack  of 
transportation.  Ten  years  after  the  authorization  by  the  leg- 
islature of  the  comprehensive  program  of  internal  improve- 
ment there  were  in  operation  in  Illinois  only  two  railroads 
listed  by  Colton  in  "The  Western  Tourist"  published  in  1846. 
These  two  roads  were : 


34  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

"  Northern  Cross  railroad  completed  from  Springfield  to 
Meredosia  on  the  Illinois  river,  a  distance  of  53  miles. 

Coal  Mine  Bluffs  railroad  extends  6  miles  from  the  Miss- 
issippi river  to  the  coal  mine. " 

During  the  session  of  1846-7  the  legislature  granted  a 
charter  for  constructing  a  macadamized  road  from  Belleville 
to  St.  Louis.  The  road,  almost  fourteen  miles  long,  was 
built.  This  was  the  first  macadamized  road  in  the  State.1 
"The  improvement  was  one  of  great  value  to  the  country 
and  gave  the  city  of  Belleville  its  first  advance  toward 
prosperity.' ' 

The  opening  of  the  Illinois-Michigan  canal  in  1848  was 
the  precursor  of  better  transportation  conditions  and  marks 
the  end  of  the  ante-railroad  period. 

RAILROAD  PERIOD  (1850—1915) 

The  total  mileage  of  railroads  in  the  State  in  1850  was  in- 
significant. The  first  railroad  completed  was  the  six-mile  coal 
track  across  the  American  Bottom  in  1837.  The  second  road 
was  the  small  section  of  the  Northern  Cross  road  from  Mere- 
dosia to  Springfield.  The  third  was  the  Galena  and  Chicago 
begun  in  1849  and  opened  for  a  length  of  ten  miles  in  1850.2 
In  that  year  congress  donated  about  three  million  acres  of 
land  as  security  for  the  building  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road. Construction  on  the  Illinois  Central  began  in  1852  and 
the  work  went  rapidly  forward. 

The  first  line  from  Chicago  to  the  Mississippi  was  the 
Chicago  and  Rock  Island  completed  in  1854  and  the  second 
opened  to  the  Mississippi  was  made  up  in  part  of  the  Galena 
and  Chicago  and  of  the  Illinois  Central.3  Until  1854,  coal  was 
hauled  by  wood  burning  locomotives  and  the  greatest  impetus 
given  to  the  expansion  of  the  coal  industry  after  the  construc- 
tion of  railroads  was  the  purchase  by  the  Galena  and  Chicago 


1History  of  St.   Clair  County.     MacDonough. 
2Poor's   Manual   of   Railroads.    1876. 
3Poor.     op.   cit. 


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36 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


in  that  year  of  five  locomotives  "guaranteed  to  burn  the  bitu- 
minous coal  mined  in  Illinois."1 

The  increase  of  main  track  mileage  of  all  railroads  in 
Illinois  and  the  coincident  development  of  coal  mining  is 
shown  in  Table  1  and  by  a  graph  in  fig.  4. 

In  1851  "a  railroad  was  built  by  the  Illinois  Coal  Com- 
pany2 operating  at  Caseyville,  from  that  point  to  Brooklyn, 
a  short  distance  north  of  East  St.  Louis,  which  was  completed 
in  February,  1851.    It  was  supplied  with  T  rails.    Up  to  this 


Fig.  4. 


1640 

Coincident 


1650  I860 

development 


of 


1670  I860 

main  track  mileage  and  p 


1910 

roduction  of 


o 
coal 


time  the  company  had  hauled  coal  by  ox  and  mule  teams  to  St. 
Louis.  In  three  years  the  company  failed;  the  road  and  fix- 
tures were  sold  to  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  the  rails  were  taken  up  and  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  that  road.    The  old  road  bed  can  still  be  traced. ' ' 

The  Gartside  Coal  Company  sunk  its  first  shaft  at  Alma 
in  St.  Clair  County  in  1851. 

Until  1854  the  current  of  Illinois  river  had  carried  south- 
ward most  of  the  products  of  central  Illinois  and  only  those 


'History  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 
-St.   Clair  County   History.     MacDonough. 


HISTORY  37 

from  the  northern  part  of  the  state  sought  the  Lake  outlet.1 
But  from  this  time  the  stream  of  traffic  was  deflected  at  right 
angles  towards  the  eastern  market  and  by  1856  Chicago  had 
become  the  center  of  railroads  radiating  to  the  Mississippi. 

In  1855  Taylor  in  his  "Statistics  of  Coal"  says :  "A  Chi- 
cago paper  states  there  are,  or  will  be,  in  operation  on  the 
1st  of  July,  1855,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  3,715  miles  of  rail- 
road. There  are  now  in  operation,  leading  into  the  City  of 
Chicago,  1,626  miles  of  railroad."  All  over  the  State  new 
mines  were  opened  up  along  new  railroads.  Fig.  5  shows  a 
typical  surface  plant  of  this  period. 


m 

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Taylor,  describing  coal  fields  in  the  United  States,  says 
further,  "Passing  now  to  the  southward,  we  enter  the  great 
Illinois  coal-field,  which  occupies  an  extent  nearly  equal  to 
that  of  England;  yet  the  State  has  but  recently  commenced 
to  make  use  of  the  coal  with  which  nature  has  so  bountifully 
provided  her.  Except  in  the  vicinity  of  the  larger  towns  and 
rivers,  the  business  of  mining  coal  here  had  made  but  small 
progress." 

The  coal  trade  of  the  lakes  in  1855  is  discussed  by  Taylor 
who  says,  "Large  quantities  of  bituminous  coal  are  obtained 
from  coalfields  in  the  north-western  part  of  Pennsylvania,  60 
to  80  miles  south  of  Lake  Erie.  Another  source  of  supply  of 
bituminous  coals,  is  from  beds  lying  on  the  line  of  the  Michi- 
gan and  Illinois  canal,  in  Illinois,  distant  from  Chicago  on 


'American  History  and   Tts  Geographical   Conditions.     Semple. 


38  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

Lake  Michigan,  60  to  80  miles.  This  canal  was  opened  in 
1848,  and  but  little  coal  came  to  market  that  year.  In  1849, 
5,150  tons  reached  Chicago.  The  upper  part  of  these  beds 
furnished  coal  highly  charged  with  sulphur,  which  confines 
the  use  of  it  principally  for  household  purposes.  Boats  and 
other  machinery  make  but  little  use  of  it  for  steam,  it  being 
so  destructive  to  grate-bars  and  boilers.  But  the  quality 
of  coal  is  improving  the  deeper  the  beds  are  worked,  and  the 
prospect  is  that  coal  of  equal  quality  will  soon  be  raised  from 
them,  as  free  from  this  objectionable  matter  as  the  Cleveland 
and  Erie.  The  production  of  these  mines  is  not  definitely 
known,  but  a  writer  in  the  Cleveland  Herald,  estimates  the 
entire  consumption  of  coal  by  the  Lake  region  in  1853,  at 
300,000  tons." 

He  gives  details  of  the  production  of  Illinois  in  1855  as 
follows:  "There  is  no  coal  on  the  Ohio  river  nearer  to  its 
junction  with  the  Mississippi  than  Saline,  near  Shawneetown, 
116  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  first  named  river.  On  the 
Mississippi,  it  is  rather  a  shorter  distance,  being  sixty  miles 
to  Muddy  creek,  and  thence  twenty-five  miles  up  that  creek  to 
the  first  coal-bed  there,  or  twelve  miles  of  land.  Some  coal 
operations  commenced  here  some  few  years  ago,  having  in 
view  the  supply  of  the  towns  along  the  Mississippi,  as  far 
even  as  New  Orleans.  The  present  supplies  of  coal  to  the 
lower  country  are  obtained  from  a  vast  distance  up  the  Cum- 
berland and  Tennessee  rivers,  but  especially  from  Wheeling, 
Pittsburg,  and  the  intermediate  points,  900  miles  further 
from  the  market  than  the  Illinois  coal  of  Muddy  creek.  The 
estimated  expense  of  delivering  this  coal  at  New  Orleans,  by 
arks,  is  about  $2.25  per  ton ;  while  the  minimum  price  of  coal 
there  is  25  cents  a  bushel,  or  $7.50  per  ton.  In  winter  time 
from  50  to  62>4  cents  per  bushel,  or  $12  to  $15  per  ton  have 
been  occasionally  the  retail  price  there.  This  Muddy  Creek 
coal  seam  is  a  horizontal  bed  six  or  seven  feet  thick,  above 
which  is  another  vein,  not  heretofore  worked.  Coal  can  be 
thrown  from  the  mouth  of  the  drift  into  a  boat.  Its  quality 
is  most  excellent,  igniting  readily,  and  caking  together  per- 
fectly, without  making  much  clinker.     It  has  been  used  for 


HISTORY  39 

fifty  years  by  the  old  French  settlers,  to  make  edge  tools, 
which  have  borne  a  high  reputation. 

What  is  termed  St.  Louis  coal,  supplied  to  the  steamers, 
burns  with  a  good  flame,  and  cements  like  that  of  Pittsburg; 
ashes  dark  gray,  in  small  quantity,  and  consumes  with  little 
waste.  It  is  often  mixed  with  yellow  sulphuret  of  iron  in 
flakes  occurring  on  each  face  of  the  sectional  fracture;  and 
consequently  is  not,  we  understand,  in  so  good  repute  for 
the  purposes  of  iron  manufacturing. 

Toward  the  north-west  boundary  of  this  district,  several 
coal  seams  are  seen  in  the  tongue  of  land  which  lies  between 
the  Mississippi  and  Eock  rivers.  One  of  these  beds  is  from 
five  to  six  feet  thick;  its  quality  is  fair,  and  evidently  im- 
proves as  the  workings  proceed. 

To  the  south  of  Eock  river  are  several  good  coal  seams 
which  are  capable  of  supplying  almost  any  required  quantity 
of  this  fuel.  Their  local  position  and  advantages  render  them 
of  great  value  to  the  country  lying  north  of  this." 

With  the  advent  of  transportation  facilities  new  fields 
were  opened  away  from  the  large  towns  and  rivers.  The  rail- 
road network  spread  and  the  markets  of  the  State  were  opened 
to  coal  from  a  distance.  In  18561  three  companies  in  La  Salle 
County  sunk  shafts  from  100  to  200  feet  deep:  The  La  Salle 
Coal  Mining  Company,  the  Northern  Illinois  Coal  and  Iron 
Company,  and  the  Pern  Coal  Mining  Company.  By  1860'- 
Illinois  had  73  mines  producing  728,400  tons  valued  at 
$1,285,500.  There  were  employed  in  the  mines  1430  men  and 
boys. 

Mining  in  St.  ('lair  County  still  offered  possibilities  to  the 
investor.  Joseph  Yoeh  opened  a  mine  known  as  Yoch  's  mine 
in  1859  on  the  old  Breeze  farm,  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of 
Belleville  and  the  Van  Court  mine  east  of  O 'Fallon  with  a 
seven  foot  vein  lying  at  a  depth  of  207  feet  was  opened  in 
1863.3 

In  1865  coal  was  found  in  digging  a  well  on  a  newly 
settled  farm  in  the  Wilmington  districl  in  Will  County.  This 
region  soon  assumed  considerable  importance.     En  I860  the 


1Coal   Regions   of  America.      MacFarlane.      1873. 

*U.   S.   Census  Report.      1860. 

3History  of  St.  Clair  County.     MacDonough. 


40  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

Chicago  and  Wilmington  Coal  Company1  was  organized  by 
Boston  and  Chicago  capitalists  and  shortly  after  its  formation 
it  was  consolidated  with  the  Vermilion  Coal  Company,  a  new 
concern  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago,  Wilmington  and  Ver- 
milion Coal  Company.  Operations  were  immediately  started 
on  a  large  scale,  all  the  product  being  shipped  to  Chicago 
over  the  Chicago  and  Alton  railroad. 

In  the  Vermilion  County  field  mining  on  a  commercial 
scale  began  in  1866  when  Wm.  Kirkland,  Hugh  Blankeney 
and  Mr.  Graves  opened  a  stripping  mine  on  Grape  Creek. 

In  the  Caseyville  precinct  of  St.  Clair  County  the  first 
shaft  of  the  Abby  Coal  Mining  Company  was  sunk  on  the 
Vandalia  line  in  1868  by  Matile  and  Williams. 

The  U.  S.  Census  Eeport  for  1870  credits  Illinois  with 
an  output  of  2,624,163  tons  of  coal  pro  rated  among  the  vari- 
ous counties  as  follows: 

Coal  Product  of  Illinois  in  Tons 

Counties  Year   1870 

Bureau   32,339 

Christian    60 

Clinton 9,000 

Fulton     22,850 

Gallatin    11,600 

Grundv    51,375 

Henry" 62,750 

Jackson    166,800 

Tersev   2,623 

Knox   97,225 

La  Salle  173,864 

Livingston    49,360 

Logan   17,000 

McDonough    60,750 

McLean    55,000 

Macoupin    7,000 

Madison  116,924 

Marshall    17  330 

Menard    17,360 

Mercer    14,040 

Montgomery     18,000 

Peoria     . . .'. 6,000 

Perrv    195,400 

Randolph     11,000 

Rock   Island 127,630 

Sangamon    84,500 

Schuyler    8.100 

Scott     2,950 

Shelby 5,700 

Engineering  and  Mining  Journal.      1874,  p.   306. 


HISTORY  41 

Counties  Year   1870 

Stark 14,554 

St.   Clair 798,810 

Tazewell    5,300 

Vermilion 1 16,640 

Warren    11,729 

Will    228,000 

Williamson    1,600 

Woodford    4,000 

Total    2,624,163 

In  1870  considerable  work  was  done  at  the  West  Ver- 
milion Heights  shaft  in  Vermilion  County  and  through  the 
early  seventies  the  Grape  Creek  Coal  Company  opened  up 
what  are  now  known  as  the  old  Grape  Creek  mines,  about 
four  miles  southeast  of  Danville,  midway  between  Danville 
and  Westville  on  the  line  of  the  C.  &  E.  I.  R.  R. 

The  Abby  shaft  No.  2  in  St.  Clair  County1  was  sunk  in 
1873  by  the  Abby  Coal  Mining  Company.  "The  depth  and  vein 
is  about  the  same  as  at  the  other  mine.  The  Springfield  mine, 
still  east  of  the  others,  was  sunk  in  1874,  by  the  Bartlett  Coal 
Company,  and  is  now  operated  by  the  Springfield  Company. 
Coal  is  reached  at  160  feet,  and  the  vein  is  full  six  feet  in 
thickness." 

Bennett's  coal  mine,  two  miles  west  of  Lebanon,  in  St. 
Clair  County,  on  the  O.  and  M.  Railroad,  Avas  opened  in  1873 
by  Jeremiah  Bennett,  and  a  five  and  one-half  foot  vein  was 
reached  at  a  depth  of  180  feet. 

In  1874  the  Grundy  County  deposits  which  had  been  pros- 
pected in  1866  were  opened  up.  Upon  the  completion  of  the 
Chicago  and  Illinois  River  Railroad  across  La  Salle  County 
in  1874  the  county  began  to  supply  outside  markets.  Along 
the  Illinois  Central  railroad  in  this  same  year  three  new  com- 
panies sunk  shafts,2  the  Chicago  Coal  Company,  the  Illinois 
Valley  Coal  Company  and  the  Kenoska  Coal  Company. 

The  Belleville  district  in  St.  Clair  County  in  1875  was 
the  most  important  mining  district  in  the  State  and  an  ex- 
cellent description  of  mining  conditions  there  in  that  year  is 
given  in  the  History  of  East  St.  Louis  by  R.  A.  Tyson.  He 
says,  "St.  Louis  obtains  its  principal  supply  of  bituminous 

1St.   Clair  County   History.      MacDonough. 
-'Coal    Regions  of   America.     MacFarlane,    L873. 


42  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

coal  from  what  is  known  in  coal  regions  as  the  Belleville  dis- 
trict, in  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois.  It  is  brought  to  East  St. 
Louis  by  the  St.  Louis  and  Illinois,  commonly  known  as  the 
Pittsburg  Eailroad.  This  Eailroad  is  only  12  miles  long, 
from  East  St.  Louis  to  Belleville,  but  it  intersects  the  western 
boundry  of  the  coal  measures  at  Centerville  six  miles  out  from 
E.  St.  Louis,  and  runs  six  miles  through  the  coal  field.  St. 
Clair  county,  contains  450  square  miles  of  coal,  or  three- 
fourths  of  the  county,  embracing  all  the  central  and  eastern 
portions,  with  a  thickness  of  about  300  feet  of  the  lower  and 
most  productive  of  the  coal  measures,  embracing  five  coal 
seams,  only  two  of  which,  however,  appear  to  be  of  economical 
value  at  this  time. 

In  1871  there  were  transported  by  this  railroad,  from 
Belleville,  and  Centerville  to  East  St.  Louis,  361,630  tons.  The 
last  United  States  census  reports  the  coal  production  of  St. 
Clair  County  at  798,810  tons.  This  is,  therefore,  by  far  the 
most  productive,  and,  in  that  respect,  the  most  important 
coal  region  in  Illinois.  The  thickest  coal  seam  outcrops  in  the 
river  and  along  the  western  borders  of  the  coal  measures  in 
the  southwest  portion  of  the  county.  The  dip  is  very  moder- 
ate, not  more  than  five  or  six  feet  to  the  mile,  and  is  in  an 
easterly  direction,  or  a  little  north  of  east,  and  in  consequence 
the  coal  lies  deepest  below  the  surface  in  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  country,  and  crops  out  to  the  surface  near  East  St. 
Louis.  The  Belleville  coal  seam,  No.  6,  is  the  principal  one 
worked,  and  it  was  probably  the  first  ever  worked  in  the 
State.  Its  natural  outcrop  along  the  bluffs,  in  such  close 
proximity  to  St.  Louis,  called  attention  to  its  value  at  an 
early  day.  Its  general  thickness  in  this  county  ranges  from 
five  to  seven  feet,  and  it  has  a  solid  limestone  roof,  so  that  it 
can  be  worked  with  safety  and  in  the  most  economical  manner. 

This  coal  is  generally  quite  regularly  stratified,  and  the 
two  upper  layers,  which  vary  in  their  aggregate  thickness 
from  16  to  24  inches,  are  much  the  purest  in  quality.  It  is  us- 
ually separated  from  the  lower  coal,  and  sold  at  about  three 
cents  per  bushel  higher,  as  a  blacksmith  coal;  thus:  heating 
coal,  six  cents ;  blacksmith  coal,  nine  cents  per  bushel. 


HISTORY  43 

The  main  coal  seam  No.  6  has  been  opened  at  many  points 
about  Belleville,  and  the  river  bluffs  back  of  the  outcrop.  It 
is  reached  by  twenty-five  shafts,  sunk  to  the  depth  of  from 
50  to  150  feet.  In  Alma  shaft  the  coal  was  found  at  a  depth 
of  170  feet  below  the  surface,  and  the  seam  is  seven  feet  thick. 
It  is  the  same  thickness  at  Mascoutab,  at  132  feet  deep,  and 
6T/>  thick  at  Urbana  or  Freeburg,  and  about  the  same  depth 
below  the  surface. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  county  the  Belleville  coal  is 
opened  at  many  places  along  its  outcrop,  and  retains  its  full 
thickness  of  about  seven  feet.  Everywhere  it  seems  to  be 
from  six  to  seven  feet  thick. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  coal  measures  underlie  all  the 
highlands  in  the  county  of  St.  Clair,  except  a  narrow  belt  from 
three  to  five  miles  wide  across  the  southwest  border,  and  the 
land  is  also  among  the  most  productive  agricultural  lands  in 
Southern  Illinois.  The  analysis  of  the  Belleville  coal  shows 
the  following  results : 

Loss  Carbon 

Specific  in        W't   of      Mois-      Vol'e  in  Ash      Carbon 

gravity     coking       coke        ture        matter       coke  coal 

Casey's  mines   1.304  39.8  60.2  6.0  33.8  55.2  5.0  55.3 

Pfeifer's  mines 1.293  44.3  55.7  8.5  35.8  51.2  4.5  57.5 

Belleville    m 1.293  45.0  55.0  5.5  39.5  49.6  5.4  54.6 

Dill  &  Knapp's  m 1.340  42.51  57.49  4.43  38.8  44.48  13.9  54.28 

Churchill    m 1.315  45.40  54.60  6.00  39.40  45.70  8.90  52.63 

Belcher  m 1.296  44.66  56.34  8.10  35.56  47.71  8.60  54.50 

Professor  Worthen  says  that  from  the  analysis,  the  Belle- 
ville coal  will  compare  favorable  with  the  average  of  bitu- 
minous coals  from  the  other  localities  either  of  this  or  adjoin- 
ing States. 

Cheap  Coal  in  East  St.  Louis. 

Coal  is  cheaper  in  East  St.  Louis  by  the  cost  of  transpor- 
tation across  the  Mississippi.  It  is  brought  in  wagons  and 
cars  on  a  down  grade,  six  or  eight  miles  from  the  outcrop  in 
the  bluffs  to  East  St.  Louis.  The  process  at  the  mines  is  as 
follows : 

After  the  coal  is  mined  the  cars  are  drawn  horizontally 
up  grade  into  the  mine  by  a  mule.    The  mule  is  detached;  the 


44  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

cars  filled,  started  out  of  the  mine  by  hand,  and  carried  down 
grade  by  their  own  weight  to  a  trestle  at  the  entrance.  Here 
they  are  dumped.  Coal  cars  receive  the  falling  coal.  These 
are  standing  ready  to  receive  it.  When  full  the  coal  train 
starts  and  moves  a  considerable  distance  down  grade,  unaided. 
Engines  are  then  attached,  which  complete  the  transportation 
to  East  St.  Louis. 

Coal  can  be  delivered  to  any  part  of  East  St.  Louis  on 
railroad  track  or  switches  at  six  cents  per  bushel 

There  are  80  lbs.  in  a  bushel ;  2,000  lbs.  in  a  ton.  There  are 
as  many  bushels  in  a  ton  as  equal  the  number  of  times  which 
2,000  lbs.  contain  eighty  lbs ;  equals  25  bushels ;  25  x  .06  equals 
$1.50  per  ton,  far  cheaper  than  cord  wood  in  the  forest  re- 
gions. It  can  be  delivered  to  the  manufacturing  establish- 
ments of  East  St.  Louis  at  from  one-third  to  one-half  less 
than  it  can  be  delivered  west  of  the  river. 

Tracks  can  be  run  from  almost  any  road  to  any  furnace 
door.  Coal  can  be  contracted  for  by  the  year,  and  thus  this 
great  want  be  conveniently  and  cheaply  met. 

Enough  coal  to  last  for  ages 

All  this  coal  is  of  easy  access  by  rail  on  a  down  grade  to 
the  very  doors  of  the  furnaces  of  the  East  St.  Louis  manufac- 
tories, costing  but  $1.60  per  ton  delivered.'' 

The  development  of  the  industry  to  the  proportions  it  had 
reached  by  1875  had  not  been  unaccompanied  by  labor  dis- 
putes nor  by  periods  of  depression  and  ruinous  competition. 
Tyson  appends  the  following  extract  from  the  Belleville 
Democrat  of  August,  1875 : 

' '  Coal  mining  in  detail — by  a  miner 
Appended  is  a  document  which  appeared  in  the  Belleville 
Democrat,  during  August,  1875,  which  is  of  interest  to  coal 
producers  and  consumers.  It  will  be  seen  that  an  immaterial 
advance  of  a  cent  per  bushel  in  price  is  asked  by  this  union : 
Platform  and  Constitution  of  the  Eeorganized  Miners  of 
St.  Clair  and  Adjoining  Counties. 

Eesolved.  1st.  That  we  demand  three  cents  per  bush- 
el for  mining,  and  will  take  no  less. 


HISTORY  45 

2nd.  That  we  have  fair  and  just  railroad  weight,  and  are 
paid  twice  a  month — upon  the  5th  and  20th  of  each  month. 

3rd.  That  no  coal  shall  have  a  screen  to  exceed  one  inch 
between  the  bars  of  said  screens. 

4th.  That  we  will  not  mine  coal  for  any  coal  mining  com- 
pany that  will  sell  coal  for  less  than  seven  and  one-half  cents 
per  bushel  in  the  coal  yard  on  this  side  of  the  river,  and  eight 
and  three-quarter  cents  in  the  yard  on  the  Missouri  side,  and 
eleven  cents  per  bushel  when  delivered  in  or  with  wagons. 

5th.  That  we  will  not  mine  any  coal  for  any  coal  oper- 
ators who  will  sell  coal  to  another  operator  when  his  miners 
are  on  a  strike,  when  the  same  is  made  a  known  fact. 

We  have  given  the  above  resolutions  due  consideration, 
and  do  not  see  in  them  anything  that  is  of  an  extortionate  or 
tyrannical  character.  Jt  is  a  known  fact  that  less  than  three 
cents  is  not  a  living  price  for  mining  coal,  though  we  will  ad- 
mit that  three  cents  is  more  than  we  have  had  for  the  last 
nine  months;  but  in  viewing  our  condition  we  also  know  that 
we  have  been  going  in  debt  all  the  time,  and  many  of  us  cannot 
get  out  of  debt  in  the  next  twelve  months,  even  at  three  cents 
and  steady  work.  As  for  steady  work,  we  know  that  we 
cannot  all  get  it;  and  let  me  say,  right  here,  that  if  the  gro- 
cery men  and  butchers  were  to  stop  giving  us  credit,  we  would 
be  starving  or  else  stealing  for  a  living.  These  statements 
are  facts.  This  being  the  case,  most  assuredly  we  are  entitled 
to  a  fair  price  for  our  labor.  The  2d,  3d,  4th  and  5th  of  our 
resolutions  are  to  protect  the  three  cents  for  mining.  Past 
experience  has  taught  us  than  when  the  warm  season  conies 
there  is  not  work  for  us  all.  Then  we  forget  our  brother  coal 
miner,  and  only  think  of  self.  Then  in  order  to  get  steady 
work  we  come  down  on  the  price.  Some  coal  boss  will  say  to 
the  miners  that  are  working  for  him,  'Boys,  there,  is  a  con- 
tract to  be  let,  and  if  you  miners  will  take  two  and  three-quar- 
ters, or  two  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel,  and  say  nothing  about 
it,  I  can  get  that  contract,  and  you  will  have  steady  work. '  The 
answer  will  be,  'all  right;  go  ahead  and  get  the  contract.'  The 
contract  is  then  taken  at  a  reduced  price  that  will  not  allow 
three  cents  for  mining.  Then  go  and  ask  these  men  how  it  is 
and  they  will  reply,  'I  don't  know;  we  are  getting  district 


4(5  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

prices.'  That  is  the  beginning  of  the  reduction  of  price,  and 
the  downfall  of  our  Union.  Now,  I  claim  that  a  uniform  price 
in  the  market  will  show  every  one  of  us  that  the  coal  is  sold 
for  a  price  that  is  not  too  high  for  the  consumer,  and  will  give 
the  miners  three  cents  for  mining.  But  when  sales  are  being 
made  every  day  that  show  clearly  to  other  coal  operators  that 
they  cannot  sell  so  low  and  save  themselves,  it  will  naturally 
be  supposed  that  the  miners  are  mining  cheaper,  and  gener- 
ally they  are  right ;  so  there  conies  strife  and  contention  with 
the  coal  operators,  and  also  with  the  miners  that  are  at  work 
at  some  other  mine.  They  cannot  see  how  it  is  that  such  a 
coal  operator  can  make  anything  on  that  contract.  If  he 
does,  he  is  bound  to  cheat  his  men  in  some  way.  The  fact  of 
the  case  is,  his  miners  have  told  him  what  to  bid,  or  at  least 
they  told  him  what  they  would  do — how  much  cheaper  they 
would  mine  if  they  could  get  steady  work.  So  the  contract  is 
taken  at  such  low  figures  that  no  other  coal  operator  can  sell 
coal  at  the  same  price  without  losing  money.  If  he  does  not 
sell  at  the  same  price  he  will  lose  his  trade.  So  he  begins  to 
grumble  with  his  miners,  stating  that  there  is  something 
wrong.  By  this  time  there  is  another  contract  to  let.  They 
then  go  for  it  at  the  least  price — perhaps  a  half-dozen  bids  in, 
with  an  understanding  with  the  men  that  they  will  mine  under 
price  if  they  get  the  contract.  When  the  bids  are  opened  they 
find  that  their  black  bids  are  nowhere  by  the  side  of  some 
other  black  bids.  After  they  and  their  black  bids  are  de- 
feated, then  their  miners  curse  and  fume  and  swear  that  they 
can  dig  coal  as  cheap  as  any  blacklegs  that  ever  lived,  so  down 
goes  the  price  for  mining  and  down  goes  the  price  in  market. 
When  we  look  fairly  into  the  coal  business  we  perceive  that 
the  whole  cause  of  the  price  coming  down  is  through  the 
miners  and  operators,  not  through  the  consumer.  That  taken 
for  a  fact,  we  can  safely  say  if  we  fail  to  get  a  living  out  of 
the  trade,  it  is  our  own  fault.  The  consumers  must  have  coal, 
and  will  pay  a  living  price  for  it  if  we  will  demand  it,  but  we 
must  not  demand  it,  we  must  not  demand  an  unreasonable 
price.  We  must  at  all  times  take  into  consideration  the  con- 
dition of  the  country  financially,  and  base  our  demands  in  pro- 
portion.   Now,  three  cents  is  a  very  low  price  for  mining  this 


HISTORY  47 

coal,  and  seven  and  a  half  in  the  yard  is  cheap  on  this 
side  of  the  river.  Eight  and  three  fourths  is  cheap  on  the 
Missouri  side  in  the  yard,  and  eleven  cents  delivered  is 
equally  cheap.     For  proof : 

Three  cents  for  mining 3 

Two  and  a  half  cents  for  freight 2y2 

One  half  cent  for  royalty y2 

One  and  a  half  cent  for  hoisting  and  margin.  .  .  .  iy2 

In  the  yard  on  this  side 7% 

Shipping  across  the  bridge I14 

In  the  yard  on  the  Missouri  side 8% 

Three  and  a  half  cents  for  hauling  and  delivering 

this  side  of  the  river 71/4 

Hauling  from  river 3y2 

Deliver  by  wagon 1 1 ' ' 

The  prosperity  of  East  St.  Louis  was  accounted  for  by 
the  number  of  railroads  radiating  from  it  in  1875.  Tyson 
gives  the  following  list : 

1st.  The  Illinois  and  St.  Louis  Coal  Road.  First  built 
of  wooden  rails,  in  1837,  by  Ex-Grov.  Reynolds  and  others, 
from  here,  six  miles,  to  the  coal  bluffs,  and  extended  six  miles 
further  to  Belleville,  in  1870.    Horse  power  was  first  used. 

2nd.  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad.  Ground  broke  in 
1852.     Terminated  here,  June,  1857. 

3rd.  Terre  Haute,  Alton  and  St.  Louis  Railroad,  now 
known  as  the  Indianapolis  and  St.  Louis  Railroad. 

4th.  Illinoistown  and  Belleville  Railroad,  now  known  as 
the  Cairo  Short  Line.  This  road  now  inns  to  Duquoin,  on  the 
Illinois  Central,  and  connects  there  For  Cairo. 

5th.  The  Chicago,  Alton  and  St.  Louis  Hail  road.  Its 
first  termini  were  at  Chicago  and  Alton. 

6th.  The  St.  Louis,  Yandalia  and  Terre  Haute  Railroad, 
now  known  as  the  Vandalia  Line. 

7th.  The  Decatur  and  East  St.  Louis  Railroad,  now 
owned  by  and  known  as  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western. 


48 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


8th.  The  Rockford,  Eock  Island,  and  St.  Louis  Railroad. 
This  Road  comes  in  from  Alton  Junction,  on  the  track  of  the 
Vandalia  line. 

9th.  St.  Louis  and  Southeastern,  which  has  several 
branches. 

10th.  The  American  Bottom  Lime,  Marble  and  Coal 
Company,  now  known  as  the  East  St.  Louis  and  Carondelet 
Railway.    It  has  a  branch  running  to  Falling  Springs. 

11th.  Cairo  and  St.  Louis  Railroad.  This  Company 
commenced  running  on  the  15th  of  September,  1873,  to 
McLeansboro,  111.,  90  miles ;  there  tapping  the  celebrated  Big- 
Muddy  coal  fields — which  coal  is  the  best  for  smelting  pur- 
poses in  the  United  States.  The  company  soon  formed  a 
contract  to  transport  coal  for  three  years  to  supply  the  South 
St.  Louis  furnaces  with  fuel.  For  the  year  ending  May  31, 
1875,  its  gross  receipts  were  $267,884.94.  Operating  expenses 
were  about  60  per  cent  of  receipts.  During  the  same  year 
(ending  May  31)  the  coal  traffic  ran  very  light,  owing  to  the 
closing  of  most  of  the  furnaces  at  St.  Louis.'' 

In  1880  the  production  of  coal  in  Illinois  amounted  to 
six  million  tons  produced  by  counties  as  follows : 


Counties  Tons 

Brown     400 

Bureau    65,890 

Clinton    40,000 

Coles  320 

Fulton   336,171 

Gallatin    80,400 

Greene    3,260 

Grundy    183,812 

Henry    155,695 

Jackson  64,412 

Jasper    24 

Jersey    2,300 

Johnson    27,000 

Kankakee    1,000 

Knox   26,462 

LaSalle    716,487 

Logan    60,000 

Livingston    118,230 

Macoupin   247,284 

McDonough     82,304 

McLean     63,000 

Madison    273,807 

Marion    39,943 


Counties  Tons 

Marshall  5,450 

Menard   61,120 

Mercer    79,531 

Montgomery    42.400 

Morgan  13,500 

Peoria   273,640 

Perry  222,186 

Randolph    69,958 

Rock  Island 237,589 

Saline  2,320 

Sangamon    427,619 

Schuyler   5,115 

Scott    5,700 

Shelby  6,504 

Stark   22,143 

Saint  Clair 956,265 

Tazewell  61,348 

Vermilion    228  850 

Warren   15,467 

Washington   4,000 

Will   611,311 

Williamson    73,500 

Woodford    101,060 


HISTORY  49 

In  1881  the  First  Biennial  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics  was  published  which  contained  a  report  on  the  coal 
mines  of  the  State.  The  history  of  Illinois  mining  from  1881 
is  available  in  the  reports  of  the  Bureau  and  in  the  subse- 
quent Reports  of  the  State  Mining  Board. 


DIVISION  OF  THE  STATE  INTO 
DISTRICTS 

The  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations  preparatory  to 
its  study  of  mining  conditions  in  Illinois  divided  the  State  into 
eight  districts  as  shown  in  fig.  6,  on  a  basis  of  geographical 
location  and  physical  and  geological  conditions.  The  boun- 
daries of  these  districts  were  so  chosen  that  all  the  mines  in  a 
district  work  under  similar  conditions. 

One  hundred  typical  mines  were  chosen  for  examination, 
distributed  among  the  districts  proportionately  to  their  im- 
portance and  in  accordance  with  the  variations  of  mining 
methods  in  the  mines  of  each  district.  Three  of  the  mines 
thus  chosen  were  dropped  from  the  list  for  various  reasons, 
but  the  remaining  97  were  examined  in  great  detail.  The  en- 
gineers who  made  this  detailed  study  were  S.  0.  Andros,  0. 
M.  Young,  J.  J.  Eutledge  and  R.  Y.  Williams.  Based  upon 
this  field  examination  and  a  great  volume  of  subsequent  corre- 
spondence with  mining  men  in  the  State  a  detailed  report  of 
mining  practice  in  each  district  has  been  published.  Complete 
details  of  the  organization  of  the  staff  and  of  the  methods 
of  collecting  data  can  be  found  in  Bulletin  1,  "A  Preliminary 
Report  on  Organization  and  Method." 

The  averages  in  the  tables  in  this  bulletin  based  upon  the 
97  mines  examined  compared  with  similar  averages  for  all 
the  mines  of  the  State  as  given  in  the  Coal  Reports  of  the 
State  Mining  Board  show  that  the  97  mines  examined  are 
really  typical  of  the  mines  of  the  State  and  that  conclusions 
based  upon  the  data  gathered  at  the  chosen  mines  apply  to 
the  State  as  a   whole. 


(50) 


Fig.  6.     Division  of  the  State  into  districts 


52 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Table  2  gives  the  districting  of  the  State  by  counties. 

Table  2. — Districts  into  which  the  State  has  been  divided  fo? 
the  purpose  of  investigation 


Coal    seam 


II  2 

III  1  and  2 


IV 


V  5 

VI      6    (East  of 
Duquoin    anti- 
cline) 


VII 


VIII 


6  (West  of 
Duquoin    anti- 
cline) 


6  and  7 
(Danville) 


Method  of  mining 

Longwall 

Room-and-pillar 
Room-and-pillar 


Room-and-pillar 


Room-and-pillar 
Room-and-pillar 

Room-and-pillar 


Room-and-pillar 


Counties 


ni  V.  W 
bo  S3 

M  £  - 

<U  C  C 


i  Bureau,  Grundy,  La  Salle, 
Marshall,  Putnam,  Will, 
Woodford   !      1  to  11 

J  Jackson   12  to  16 

i 

Brown,  Calhoun,  Cass,  Ful- 
ton, Greene,  Hancock,  Henry, 
Jersey,  Knox,  McDonough, 
Mercer,  Morgan,  Rock  Is- 
land, Schuyler,  Scott,  War- 
ren         17  to  24 

[Cass,  DeWitt,  Fulton,   Knox,; 

I  Logan,    Macon,    Mason.    Mc-j 

'Lean,  Menard,  Peoria,  Sang- 
amon, Schuyler,  Tazewell, 
Woodford   .  ." 25  to  42 


Gallatin,   Saline 


Franklin,    Jackson,    Perry, 
Williamson    


43  to  49 
50  to  65 


Bond,  Christian,  Clinton,  Ma- 
coupin, Madison,  Marion, 
Montgomery,  Moultrie,  Per- 
ry, Randolph,  Sangamon  \ 
Shelby,  St.  Clair,  Washing-! 
ton 66  to  90 

Edgar,  Vermilion 91  to  97 


DIVISION    OF    THE    STATE    INTO    DISTRICTS 


53 


For  convenience  in  reference  an  alphabetical  arrange- 
ment by  counties  is  given  in  Table  3. 

These  districts  do  not  contain  qnite  all  the  mines  operat- 
ing in  Illinois  because  there  are  a  few  which  do  not  fall  into 
the  arrangement  such  as  the  Assumption  mine,  1004  feet  deep, 
operating  in  Seam  1  at  Assumption  in  Christian  County  and 
a  few  small  room-and-pillar  mines  in  Seam  2  in  the  longwall 
field.  From  the  mines  included  in  the  eight  districts  of  the 
Coal  Mining  Investigations,  however,  there  is  produced  98.3 
per  cent  of  the  tonnage  of  the  State  and  97.6  per  cent  of  all 
the  employees  in  coal  mines  in  Illinois  work  in  these  districts. 

Table  3. — Alphabetical  arrangement  by  counties 


Table  4  gives  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1912,  gen- 
eral data  by  districts  comparing  the  general  conditions  in  each 
district.  Later  statistics  are  available  but  those  for  the  year 
ended  June  30,  1912,  have  been  used  in  order  to  make  this  re- 
port comformable  with  the  previous  reports  of  this  series. 


54 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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DIVISION    OF    THE    STATE    INTO    DISTRICTS  55 

A  comparison  of  the  production  in  1912  and  1914  indi- 
cates that  since  1912  there  has  been  no  material  change  in  the 
general  conditions  upon  which  the  comparisons  in  this  bulle- 
tin are  based. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  COAL  SEAMS 

The  chemical  composition  and  calorific  value  of  the  coal 
from  the  seams  worked  in  the  eight  districts  are  given  in 
Table  5.1 

The  following  brief  description  of  seams  is  intended  to 
cover  only  those  geological  conditions  which  affect  mining 
practice.  The  detailed  geology  of  District  I  is  given  in  Bul- 
letin 10,  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Coal  Eesources 
of  District  1  (Longwall),  by  G.  H.  Cady  and  that  of  District 
VII  in  Bulletin  11,  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Coal 
Resources  of  District  VII,  by  F.  H.  Kay.  Reports  on  the 
geology  of  the  other  districts  will  be  made  in  similar  bulle- 
tins which  will  be  published  in  the  future.  References  to  other 
publications  on  the  general  geology  of  the  Illinois  coal  fields 
are  included  in  the  bibliography  appended  to  this  bulletin. 

In  this  description  the  coal  seams  are  numbered  accord- 
ing to  the  correlation  of  the  State  Geological  Survey. 

DISTRICT  I,  SEAM  2 

Seam  2  in  District  I  varies  in  thickness  from  2  feet,  8 
inches  to  4  feet,  averaging  3  feet,  2  inches. 

The  chief  physical  characteristic  is  the  fine  lamination 
of  alternately  bright  and  dull  coal.  On  account  of  these  lam- 
inations the  luster  is  not  so  pronounced  as  that  of  the  coal 
from  the  No.  6  seam ;  but  this  aspect  is  not  due  to  impurities. 
The  persistent  dirt  and  sulphur  bands  of  No.  6  are  absent, 
but  in  places  are  thin  bands  of  flat  or  lenticular  pyrites. 
There  is,  however,  no  regularity  in  the  distribution  at  any 
horizon  of  the  layers  of  pyrites  or  of  the  local  bands  of  pyri- 
tous  mother  coal  and  dirt  bands.  The  thickness  of  these 
various  layers  of  impurities  varies  from  y2  inch  to  4  inches. 

The  La  Salle  anticline  which  runs  in  a  general  northwest- 
southeast  direction  divides  the  district  into  two  fields  with 
slightly  different  physical  conditions :  the  Wilmington  on  the 


1Complete  chemical  data  upon  the  97  mines  sampled  will  be  found  in  Bulletin  3, 
Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  A  Chemical  Study  of  Illinois  Coals,  by  Prof.  S.  W. 
Parr. 

(56) 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COAL    SEAMS 


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58  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

east  and  the  La  Salle,  locally  called  the  Third  Vein  field,  on  the 
west.  The  coal  lies  at  greater  depth  on  the  west  of  the  anti- 
cline where  it  has  350  to  550  feet  of  cover. 

The  immediate  roof  in  the  Wilmington  field  is  usually  a 
smooth  gray  shale,  called  "soapstone"  by  the  miners.  In 
places  sandstone  forms  the  roof  material  and  causes  difficulty 
in  brushing.  In  the  La  Salle  field  the  roof  is  generally  a  gray 
shale,  free  from  grit  but  containing  small  flattened  nodules  of 
ironstone  which  make  difficult  the  manufacture  of  brick  from 
the  roof  material. 

Near  the  anticline  the  immediate  roof  is  in  some  portions 
a  gray,  calcareous  shale,  called  "soapstone";  in  others,  a 
black,  carbonaceous  shale.  The  black  shale  is  generally  lam- 
inated and  commonly  includes  "niggerheads"  of  pyritous  ma- 
terial.   It  is  harder  than  the  gray  shale. 

In  the  Wilmington  field  a  dark-gray  fireclay  generally 
lies  directly  under  the  coal  and  varies  in  thickness  from  a  few 
inches  to  several  feet.  The  clay  heaves  badly  under  pressure 
when  wet.  In  some  localities  ironstone  balls  and  root  remains 
have  been  found  imbedded  in  the  clay.  In  the  La  Salle  field 
the  coal  is  generally  underlain  by  fireclay,  but  in  parts  of 
some  mines  a  hard  sandstone  lies  directly  beneath  the  coal. 

Generally  bed  No.  2  in  this  district  lies  nearly  flat  or  is 
slightly  rolling,  but  on  the  La  Salle  anticline  it  dips  as  much 
as  51  degrees. 

DISTRICT  II,  SEAM  2 

Bed  2  in  Jackson  County  has  only  a  shallow  cover,  the 
coal  lying  at  depths  varying  from  25  to  160  feet.  A  charac- 
teristic feature  of  the  bed  is  its  division  into  two  benches  by 
a  gray  laminated  shale  band  varying  in  thickness  from  y8- 
inch  to  36  feet.  Where  this  parting  is  thick  the  lower  bench 
has  sometimes  been  called,  erroneously,  seam  1.  The  bottom 
bench  varies  in  thickness  from  3%  to  4  feet,  averaging  3% 
feet.     The  top  bench  averages  2  feet. 

The  bed  contains  few  nodular  concretions  of  iron  pyrites, 
but  has  a  layer  of  bone  2  to  3  inches  thick,  generally  next 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COAL    SEAMS  59 

to  the  floor.  This  floor  in  most  places  is  sandstone,  but  in 
sections  is  shale  or  fireclay.  The  coal  shows  a  pronounced 
cleavage,  northeast  to  southwest. 

Where  the  parting  is  thin  and  the  two  benches  are 
united,  the  roof  over  the  coal  is  a  hard  gray  shale,  but  where 
the  parting  is  thick  and  only  the  lower  bench  is  worked  the 
parting  becomes  the  roof.  Where  this  parting  is  a  light  gray 
shale  it  is  easy  to  support ;  where  it  is  dark  colored  it  slakes 
much  on  exposure  to  the  air. 

Numerous  small  faults  occur  in  all  mines  and  horses, 
usually  of  a  hard  dark  gray  micaceous  sandstone,  are  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  faults. 

The  presence  in  places  of  a  quicksand  deposit  about 
thirty  feet  below  the  surface  has  a  marked  effect  on  surface 
subsidence  after  roof-caves. 

Reference  to  Table  5  shows  the  superiority  of  the  coal 
in  District  II.  It  has  less  volatile  matter,  more  fixed  carbon, 
less  ash  and  moisture,  and  a  higher  calorific  value  than  the 
coal  of  any  other  district. 

DISTRICT  III,  SEAM  1— SEAM  2 

Seam  1  in  the  mines  examined  lies  at  depths  varying 
from  40  to  213  feet.  The  topography  of  the  surface  in  many 
places  is  rolling,  with  hills  about  150  feet  high  near  Mather- 
ville.  The  seam  averages  4  feet  in  thickness  and  is  broken 
in  places  by  small  faults,  slips,  clay  veins,  and  rolls.  The 
coal  has  weak  vertical  cleavage,  dull  luster,  and  banded  text- 
ure. On  cleavage  faces  thick  plates  of  calcite  and  iron  py- 
rites are  deposited.  Near  Ellisville  sulphur  bands  2  to  6 
inches  thick  and  in  places  50  feet  long  are  found  at  various 
horizons.  A  poorly  developed  parting  divides  the  bed  into 
two  benches,  the  upper  of  which  is  in  most  places  about  2  feet 
thick. 

The  immediate  roof  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  dis- 
trict is  a  hard  black  shale  that  is  easy  to  support.  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  district  in  places  a  bituminous  calcar- 
eous shale,  2  to  5  inches  thick,  lies  immediately  over  the  coal. 
This  shale,  called  clod,  is  hard  when  first  exposed  but  after 


60  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

exposure  to  the  air  becomes  soft  and  falls.  Throughout  the 
district  the  cap  rock  is  limestone.  In  limited  areas  where 
the  shale  is  missing  this  limestone  is  the  immediate  roof  over 
the  coal.  Above  the  cap  rock  is  a  dense,  fine-grained  non- 
crystalline limestone  locally  called  "blue  rock." 

Below  seam  1  in  places  there  is  an  irregular  band  of  hard 
bone,  3  to  6  inches  thick.  The  floor  proper  is  a  light  gray 
micaceous  fireclay  which  contains  plant  stems  and  roots. 
This  clay  heaves  badly  when  wet  and  in  places  swells  enough 
to  fill  the  entry.  In  parts  of  some  mines  a  carbonaceous 
shale  lies  between  the  fireclay  floor  and  the  coal  and  in  other 
parts,  sandstone.  These  casual  deposits  are  called  "false 
bottoms." 

Seam  2  varies  in  thickness  from  1  foot,  10  inches  to  4 
feet  and  averages  2y2  feet.  The  seam  has  a  slight  east  dip 
for  the  district.  The  coal  has  a  weak  cleavage  and  dull  lus- 
ter, is  finely  laminated  and  has  numerous  bands  of  mother 
coal  and  dirt,  none  of  which  is  continuous.  A  band  of  mother 
coal  and  iron  pyrites  persists  throughout  the  seam  at  a  dis- 
tance of  14  inches  from  the  roof. 

The  immediate  roof  is  a  calcareous  shale  known  locally 
as  soapstone.  It  is  regular  and  smooth  and  contains  fossil 
leaves  in  places. 

The  floor  is  a  soft  gray  fireclay  which  contains  nodular 
concretions  of  iron  pyrites  called  "sulphur  balls." 

DISTRICT  IV,  SEAM  5 

The  topography  of  the  surface  in  District  IV  is  flat  in 
some  areas,  and  rolling,  with  hills  as  high  as  300  feet  in 
others.  No.  5  coal  outcrops  in  Peoria,  Fulton,  and  Knox 
Counties  but  lies  at  depths  of  300  to  600  feet  in  Macon 
County,  400  feet  in  McLean,  and  260  to  300  feet  in  Logan. 

The  average  thickness  of  the  coal  is  4  feet,  8  inches  as 
reported  in  the  Thirty-first  Annual  Coal  Report  of  Illinois 
from  240  mines.  The  seam  has  a  uniform  appearance  from 
top  to  bottom  and  the  coal  is  hard  and  massive.  It  shows 
fine  laminations  with  knife-edge  mother  coal  partings.  In 
some  places  there  are  discontinuous  bands  of  pyrites  near 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COAL    SEAMS  61 

the  middle  of  the  seam.  The  seam  lacks  the  blue-band  char- 
acteristic of  No.  61.  Udden  states  that,  "in  the  mines  near 
East  Peoria  and  at  Edwards  the  coal  runs  out  against  the 
drift  in  several  of  the  entries.  Miners  recognize  that  these 
defects  in  the  coal  are  due  to  erosion  and  they  speak  of  the 
drift  as  'wash.'  The  drift  generally  consists  of  sand  or  silt, 
which  in  some  places  has  been  found  to  contain  embedded 
trunks  of  trees  and  other  vegetation.  Experience  has  shown 
that  the  surface  of  the  bedrock  does  not  always  conform  to 
the  present  topography  of  the  land  and  operators  are  careful 
to  avoid  unprofitable  explorations  of  places  where  'wash' 
has  been  encountered2. 

The  immediate  roof  is  a  black  sheety  shale  locally  called 
slate.  This  shale  varies  in  thickness  from  a  few  inches  to 
35  feet  and  in  places  contains  "niggerheads"  of  iron  pyrites. 
In  many  mines  between  the  coal  and  the  shale  there  is  in 
places  a  layer  of  iron  pyrites  two  or  three  inches  thick. 
Where  this  layer  is  present  the  shale  is  protected  from  the 
air  and  stays  up ;  where  it  is  not  present  the  shale  falls  badly 
and  in  places  caves  to  a  height  of  35  feet. 

The  cap  rock  in  most  mines  is  limestone  but  in  a  few  is  a 
fine-grained  micaceous  sandstone.  In  some  places  the  shale 
of  the  immediate  roof  is  absent  and  the  cap  rock  comes  in 
contact  with  the  coal.  "When  the  limestone  is  disseminated 
and  mingled  with  the  shale  the  roof  is  soft  and  weathers 
quickly  owing  perhaps  to  the  presence  of  marcasite.3  It  is 
then  called  clod  and  the  niggerheads  are  iron  carbonate. 

From  the  viewpoint  of  the  miner  the  chief  characteristic 
of  the  district  is  the  great  number  of  clay  veins  extending 
through  the  coal  and  the  roof  shale  crossing  their  bedding 
plans.  Fig.  7  shows  a  typical  clay  vein.  These  clay  veins 
are  fissures  which  have  been  filled  with  a  hard  light-gray 
clay.  Besides  clay  veins  the  physical  features  which  affect 
mining  are  small  faults,  slips,  and  rolls.  In  one  mine  where 
the  shale  of  the  immediate  roof  is  absent  the  sandstone  has 
cut  out  the  coal  for  150  feet  along  an  entry. 


'Bulletin    14,   Illinois  Geological  Survey,   Coal   Resources  of   Illinois,  DeWolf. 
2Bull.    506,   U.    S.    G.    S.,    Geology   and    Mineral    Resources    of   the    Peoria    Quadrangle, 
Illinois,  Udden. 

3Udden,  op.  cit. 


62 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


The  coal  in  this  district  in  many  places  sticks  to  the  roof 
and  is  separated  from  it  with  difficulty.  In  one  mine  about 
an  inch  of  coal  is  left  up  to  protect  the  roof  shale  from  the 
moisture  of  the  air. 


■    ,, , 


Fig.  7.     Typical  clay  vein  in  District  IV 

The  floor  in  most  places  is  a  dark  gray  fireclay  which 
heaves  badly  when  wet.  At  one  mine  the  floor  is  a  blue  fire- 
clay containing  nodular  concretions  of  iron  pyrites. 

DISTRICT  V,  SEAM  5 

Seam  5  in  Saline  and  Gallatin  Counties  lies  at  a  depth 
of  25  to  40  feet,  being  nearer  the  surface  along  the  southern 
portion.  The  seam  varies  in  thickness  from  4  to  8  feet,  aver- 
aging 5 Yz  feet  in  Saline  County  and  4  feet  in  Gallatin  County. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COAL    SEAMS  Do 

The  roof  of  No.  5  in  this  district  is  a  shale  varying  in 
color  from  light  gray  to  black,  and  locally  may  be  laminated 
and  interbedded  with  bone  and  stringers  of  coal  for  a  distance 
of  3  feet  above  the  seam.  The  roof  usually  contains  also 
many  concretions  of  iron  pyrites  called  "niggerheads". 
These  have  more  cohesion  with  the  rest  of  the  roof  material 
than  do  the  niggerheads  in  the  Danville  district. 

The  floor  is  fireclay  which  in  places  contains  much  sand 
and  heaves  badly  when  wet.  The  bed  does  not  lie  as  flat  as 
the  unfaulted  No.  6,  but  contains  many  hills  and  rolls  causing 


FlG.  8.     Igneous  dike  in  coal  in   District   V 

grades  as  high  as  15  per  cent  in  the  entries  of  some  mines. 
The  coal  is  not  pinched  out  at  these  hills  but  follows  their 
contours  with  undiminished  thickness. 

The  district  is  characterized  by  the  presence  of  an 
igneous  intrusion  identified  by  Albert  Johansen,  formerly  of 
the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  as  mica-peridotite.  This  dike 
in  some  places  penetrates  and  has  its  apex  in  the  coal,  as 
shown  in  fig.  8;  in  others  it  extends  on  through  the  bed  into 
the  overlying  strata.  The  dike  varies  in  thickness  at  the 
coal  horizon  from  a  few  inches  to  many  feet,  and  can  be 


64  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

traced    lineally    for    several    miles.     Considerable    gas    and 
water  are  generally  f onnd  in  the  vicinity  of  the  intrusion. 

DISTRICT  VI,  SEAM  6 

Seam  6  is  described  as  follows  by  E.  W.  Shaw  and  T.  E. 
Savage  in  Folio  No.  185,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey : 

"The  bed  is  uniformly  thick,  ranging  from  7y2  to  14  feet 
and  averaging  9  feet  5  inches  in  130  borings.  The  coal  is 
shining  black,  commonly  banded,  and  on  close  inspection 
appears  laminated  with  alternating  bright  and  dull  lines.  A 
'blue  band'  or  dirt  band,  found  almost  everywhere  18  to  30 
inches  above  the  floor,  generally  consists  of  bone  or  shaly 
coal  or  of  gray  shale.  Its  thickness  varies  from  one-half  to 
2y2  inches,  with  an  average  of  12A  inches. 

"A  clean  persistent  parting  of  mother  coal  lies  14  to  24 
inches  below  the  top  of  the  bed,  and  a  second  parting  gener- 
ally appears  5  to  8  inches  lower  down.  Above  the  upper 
parting  the  coal  is  in  layers  3  to  6  inches  thick,  with  partings 
of  mother  coal  between  them.  Local  lenses  of  mother  coal, 
6  inches  to  5  feet  in  length  and  1  inch  to  4  inches  thick,  are 
common  in  the  upper  third  of  the  bed.  Small  pyrite  lenses 
and  streaks  of  bone,  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  a  foot  or 
more  in  length  and  from  one-fourth  inch  to  1  inch  in  thick- 
ness, are  found  here  and  there  in  the  middle  portion  of  the 
bed,  a  short  distance  above  the  'blue  band.'  In  the  middle 
and  lower  parts  of  the  bed  the  lamination  is  less  distinct  but 
the  bedding  is  still  evident. 

"Above  the  coal  there  is  a  bed  of  gray,  impure  shale, 
15  to  110  feet  thick,  the  lower  part  of  which  generally  con- 
tains a  great  number  of  plant  impressions.  This  shale  does 
not  stand  well  when  the  coal  is  removed,  and  for  this  reason 
the  18  to  30  (60)1  inch  zone  of  coal  above  the  charcoal  parting 
is  usually  left  for  a  roof  until  the  rooms  are  mined  out,  after 
which  it  may  be  taken  down.  The  clay  beneath  the  coal  is 
hard  and  generally  thin,  ranging  in  thickness  from  4  inches 
to  8  feet.  It  is  generally  underlain  by  a  limestone.  Some 
rock  rolls  occur  at  the  top,  the  larger  ones  extending  down 
into  the  coal  2  to  3  feet." 


Author, 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COAL    SEAMS  65 

In  addition  to  the  structural  features  mentioned  above, 
faults  of  considerable  magnitude  for  Illinois  have  been  dis- 
covered in  mining.  One  block  fault  in  which  the  block  has 
dropped  50  feet  has  been  recorded  by  F.  H.  Kay  of  the  State 
Geological  Survey. 

In  a  few  mines  where  cleat  in  the  coal  is  developed  the 
roof  is  jointed  and  can  be  easily  supported  only  in  rooms 
driven  east  and  west. 

In  some  mines  there  are  small  areas  in  which  the  cap 
rock  is  lacking.  If  the  coal  is  removed  under  these  areas  the 
roof  caves  in  filling  the  entries  with  clay  and  sand  and  caus- 
ing surface  subsidence. 

DISTRICT  VII,  SEAM  6 

In  District  VII  the  No.  6  coal  does  not  have  the  bright 
luster  of  the  No.  6  coal  to  the  east  of  the  Duquoin  anticline. 
The  thickness  varies  from  2y2  to  14  feet,  averaging  7  feet. 
The  seam  is  characterized  by  its  numerous  dirt  and  sulphur 
bands  of  which  the  most  persistent  throughout  the  district 
is  the  "blue  band"  of  hard  dark  gray  or  black  shale  from  y2- 
inch  to  4  inches  thick  situated  in  places  6  inches  above  the 
floor  but  at  an  average  height  of  18  inches.  Bands  of  pyrites 
from  i^-inch  to  4  inches  thick  are  located  at  varying  heights 
in  the  bed;  in  places  are  other  bands  of  impurities  called  by 
the  miner  "steel  band",  "nine-inch  band",  or  "dirt  band", 
according  to  their  hardness  and  location.  There  is  a  well- 
defined  parting  plane  in  the  coal  about  18  inches  from  the 
roof.  The  upper  bench  or  "top  coal"  is  left  where  the  roof 
is  black  shale  and  where  the  coal  is  7  feet  thick  or  over.  The 
roof  is  either  a  non-calcareous  black  shale,  a  calcareous  gray 
shale  called  locally  whitetop  or  soapstone,  an  unconsolidated 
dark-gray  or  black  shale  called  clod  made  up  of  fragments  of 
varying  size  and  hardness  and  extremely  difficult  to  support, 
or  a  hard  gray  limestone  called  "rock  top."  A  poorly 
defined  cleat  or  cleavage  in  the  coal  may  be  seen  in  some 
places. 


66  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

DISTRICT  VIII,  SEAM  6— SEAM  7 

In  District  VIII  seams  6  and  7  are  mined.  In  both  seams 
there  are  numerous  rolls  of  roof  and  floor  called  "faults"  or 
"horsebacks"  by  the  miners.  In  many  cases  the  roll  entirely 
displaces  the  coal. 

Seam  6  averages  6  feet  in  thickness.  Its  chief  charac- 
teristic in  the  presence  of  a  blue-band  which  divides  it  into 
upper  and  lower  benches.  This  blue-band  varies  from  soft 
dust  to  hard  gray  shale  and  occurs  about  2  feet  above  the 
floor.  In  addition  to  this  blue-band  there  are  several  shale 
and  sulphur-bands  of  variable  horizontal  and  vertical  extent. 

The  roof  over  coal  No.  6  is  variable.  Near  Danville  the 
immediate  roof  is  a  grayish  black  shale  about  6  feet  thick. 
This  shale,  lying  between  the  coal  and  the  cap-rock  of  dark 
gray  nodular  limestone  makes  an  easily  supported  roof.  In 
the  vicinity  of  Westville  and  Georgetown,  the  immediate  roof 
is  usually  a  gray  shale  which  shows  no  distinct  bedding,  has 
little  cohesion,  falls  in  conchoidal  masses,  and  is  extremely 
difficult  to  support.  Further,  stringers  of  coal  extend  from 
the  seam  proper  into  the  roof  material  and  render  the  roof 
more  difficult  of  support.  In  isolated  cases  there  are  3  to  4 
inches  of  black  shale  between  the  coal  and  the  gray  shale 
which  forms  the  cap  rock.  Wherever  this  black  shale  is 
broken,  air  and  moisture  disintegrate  the  gray  shale  cap-rock 
and  the  roof  becomes  insupportable. 

In  all  parts  of  the  Danville  district  the  floor  is  a  soft 
fireclay. 

Seam  7  varies  in  thickness  from  2%  to  5%  feet  and  aver- 
ages 5  feet.  The  coal  has  two  benches  separated  by  a  clay- 
band  1  inch  thick,  which  persists  through  the  bed  from  6  to  8 
inches  above  the  floor.  The  two  benches  present  no  great 
difference  in  appearance  or  in  physical  character  except  lo- 
cally where  the  top  bench  is  harder  and  has  a  brighter  luster. 
The  No.  7  seam  generally  has  slightly  more  impurities  than 
the  No.  6  seam,  higher  volatile  matter,  lower  fixed  carbon, 
and  higher  sulphur  content  as  shown  by  Table  5.  The  bands 
of  pyrites  occur  persistently  at  a  height  of  20  to  26  inches 
above  the  floor  and  "sulphur  balls"  or  nodular  concretions 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COAL    SEAMS  67 

of  pyrites  are  present  in  such  quantity  as  to  make  profitable 
their  separation  from  the  coal  by  hand  picking  in  the  mine 
and  by  a  further  separation  on  the  surface  in  rotating  cylin- 
ders. 


MINING  PRACTICE 

The  earliest  mining  in  Illinois  consisted  in  gophering  in 
outcrops  in  the  river  bluffs  or  in  stripping  the  shallow  over- 
burden from  seams  lying  near  the  surface.  The  coal  thus 
obtained  was  used  by  blacksmiths  and  to  a  limited  extent  for 
domestic  purposes.  The  demand  for  coal  for  industrial  pur- 
poses developed  rapidly  after  1850  and  the  profit  in  coal  min- 
ing led  to  the  opening  of  mines  requiring  slopes  and  shafts 
and  to  the  extension  of  the  earlier  drift  mines  further  under 
cover.  The  mines  opened  previous  to  1870  were  shallow  and 
a  crude  room-and-pillar  system  of  mining  was  developed  with 
the  relation  between  room  and  pillar  widths  determined 
largely  by  trial  and  failure.  The  operators  of  the  period 
from  1870  to  1890  were  usually  men  of  small  means  but  having 
chosen  those  portions  of  the  seams  most  easily  worked  could 
mine  profitably  even  with  crude  methods  because  the  market 
for  coal  occasioned  by  the  marvelous  industrial  growth  of 
Illinois  and  by  the  increasing  population  readily  absorbed  the 
production  at  a  comparatively  high  price.  These  shallow 
mines  were  cheaply  opened  and  by  1900  there  were  over  900 
mines  in  the  State.  The  change  in  the  number  and  size  of  the 
mines  in  the  State  is  shown  by  Table  6. 

About  1890  the  deep  and  thick  No.  6  seam  of  southern 
Illinois  began  to  be  worked  and  the  mines  in  this  seam  opened 
since  that  time,  and  especially  since  1900,  were  designed  for 
large  production,  and  required  a  greater  initial  outlay  of 
capital  and  greater  technical  skill  in  development.  The  need 
of  an  immediate  return  on  this  capital  investment,  however, 
prevented  the  projection  of  a  retreating  mining  system  calling 
for  several  years  of  develpoment  work  before  a  large  tonnage 
could  be  produced  but  an  improvement  was  made  on  the  earl- 
ier system.  Many  of  these  new  mines  were  projected  on  the 
panel  system  but  the  coal  is  gained  almost  entirely  on  the 
advance  and  the  unsuitable  dimensions  of  rooms  and  pillars 
of  the  older  mines  usually  have  been  retained. 

There  are  at  the  present  time  in  Illinois  five  types  of  coal 
mines:  1,  the  small  "country-bank"  or  "local  mine"  with  a 

(68) 


MINING   PRACTICE 


69 


Table  6. — Number  of  mines  of  specified  annual  tonnage 

1883-19141 


Year 

Under 
1,000 
tons 

1,000  and 
under 
10,000 
tons 

10,000  and 
under 
50,000 
tons 

50,000  and 
under 
100,000 
tons 

100,000  and1  200,000 
1  under      tons  and 

200,000   !  over 
1  tons 

Total 

mines 

1883 

209 

233 

133 

39 

10 

15 

639 

1884 

262 

273 

148 

38 

16 

4 

741 

1885 

286 

290 

143 

40 

13 

6 

778 

1886 

316 

280 

135 

44 

11 

3 

780 

1887 

320 

278 

141 

42 

18 

2 

801 

1888 

327 

272 

151 

47 

20 

5 

822 

1889 

321 

316 

139 

55 

20 

3 

854 

1890 

398 

301 

155 

54 

24 

4 

936 

1891 

402 

260 

161 

52 

37 

6 

918 

1892 

332 

239 

151 

65 

46 

6 

839 

1893 

282 

232 

140 

75 

47 

12 

788 

1894 

312 

252 

161 

61 

44 

6 

836 

1895 

319 

276 

145 

61 

45 

9 

855 

1896 

330 

280 

128 

63 

45 

16 

862 

1897 

346 

250 

120 

79 

41 

17 

853 

1898 

351 

244 

151 

86 

42 

7 

881 

1899 

346 

261 

123 

77 

57 

25 

889 

1900 

340 

295 

123 

70 

65 

27 

920 

1901 

313 

308 

124 

79 

58 

33 

915 

1902 

314 

263 

152 

76 

72 

38 

915 

1903 

313 

293 

120 

75 

87 

45 

933 

1904 

301 

275 

140 

72 

98 

46 

932 

1905 

321 

299 

147 

83 

88 

52 

990 

1906 

336 

282 

167 

89 

97 

47 

1,018 

1907 

260 

262 

145 

91 

95 

80 

933 

1908 

248 

256 

146 

98 

92 

82 

922 

1909 

270 

239 

134 

66 

90 

87 

886 

1910 

261 

239 

125 

87 

94 

75 

881 

1911 

235 

213 

138 

82 

101 

76 

845 

1912 

266 

228 

119 

70 

91 

105 

879 

1913 

239 

231 

108 

66 

82 

114 

840 

1914 

236 

208 

90 

64 

95 

103 

796 

1  Thirty-third   Annual    Coal   Report   of   Illinois. 

production  of  10  to  50  tons  per  day  existing  solely  for  the 
supply  of  a  small  local  demand ;  2,  the  unmodified  room-and- 
pillar  mine,  including  (a)  the  mine  opened  15  to  40  years  ago 
and  still  operated  on  a  crude  unmodified  room-and-pillar 
system,  and  (b)  the  room-and-pillar  mine  opened  recently; 


70 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


3,  the  panel  mine,  including  (a)  the  older  mine  which  has 
changed  its  system  from  unmodified  room-and-pillar  to  panel, 
and  (b)  the  mine  opened  in  recent  years  on  the  panel  system; 

4,  the  longwall  mine  in  seams  not  thicker  than  4y2  feet ;  and 

5,  the  stripping  mine. 

LOCAL  MINES 

Only  a  few  of  the  mines  examined  are  local  mines,  called 
"country-banks",  because  although  in  number  they  comprise 
56.8  per  cent  of  all  the  mines  in  the  State  they  are  unimport- 
ant as  a  factor  in  the  coal  production,  their  annual  output 
amounting  to  only  2.5  per  cent  of  the  tonnage  of  Illinois. 
There  is  no  uniformity  in  the  operation  of  local  mines  and 
they  frequently  consist  of  one  entry  with  a  honeycomb  of 
rooms  off  each  side.  The  area  covered  by  their  workings  is 
usually  small.  At  one  of  the  local  mines  examined  the  work- 
ings consisted  of  one  room  35  feet  wide  and  600  feet  long ;  at 
another  from  both  sides  of  a  single  entry  6  feet  wide  rooms  15 


Table  7. 

— Relation  between  local  and  shipping  mines 

No.   mines 

Percentage  of 

local    mines    in 

district 

District 

Total                            Local                        Shipping 

I 

36 

2 

34 

5.6 

II 

8 

0 

8 

0 

III 

128 

123 

5 

96.9 

IV 

240 

165 

75 

68.9 

V 

33 

12 

21 

36.3 

VI 

78 

18 

60 

23.1 

VII 

196 

46 

150 

23.5 

VIII 

49 

31 

18 

63.3 

State 

879 

499 

380 

56.8 

feet  wide  are  turned  on  20-foot  centers.  In  District  II  where 
the  coal  is  nearly  all  worked  out  there  are  no  local  mines  but 
they  are  found  in  every  other  district  and  comprise  96.9  per 
cent  of  the  mines  in  District  III.  Table  7  gives  the  relation 
between  local  and  shipping  mines  for  each  district. 


MINING    PRACTICE  71 

UNMODIFIED  ROOM-AND-PILLAR  MINES 

A  typical  unmodified  room-and-pillar  mine  where  the  coal 
is  reached  by  a  shaft,  as  shown  in  fig.  9,  has  two  parallel  en- 
tries, one  used  for  haulage  (A)  called  the  main  entry  vary- 
ing in  width  from  6  to  21  feet  and  averaging  12  feet,  and  one 
(B)  for  carrying  the  intake  ventilating  current  called  the  back 
entry.  These  entries  are  driven  on  each  side  of  the  shaft 
through  the  solid  coal  towards  the  property  boundaries. 
Cleavage  or  " cleat"  is  not  usually  sufficiently  pronounced  in 
Illinois  coal  to  determine  the  direction  chosen  for  driving 
entries  or  rooms  in  Illinois.  The  main-entry  pillar  between 
these  two  entries  varies  in  width  at  the  mines  examined  from 
12  to  80  feet  and  averages  31.  The  entries  are  advanced  sim- 
ultaneously, and  outside  the  shaft  pillar  are  connected  at  60- 
foot  intervals  by  crosscuts  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  a 
flow  of  air  through  the  entries  to  the  working  face. 

At  a  distance  from  the  shaft,  commonly  300  feet,  such 
that  the  solid  coal  surrounding  the  shaft  will  be  sufficient  to 
protect  the  shaft  from  injury  by  surface  subsidence,  a  pair  of 
cross-entries  is  driven  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  main  entries 
and  at  a  right  angle  to  them.  These  cross-entries  vary  in 
width  from  6  to  21  feet,  averaging  12  and  the  coal  between 
them,  called  the  cross-entry  pillar,  varies  from  12  to  50  feet, 
averaging  27. 

Rooms  are  turned  off  at  a  right  angle  to  the  cross-entries 
at  a  distance  of  50  to  150  feet  from  the  main  entries,  and  there- 
after at  regular  distances.  The  coal  between  the  main-entry 
or  the  back  entry  and  the  first  room  is  the  main-barrier  pillar 
and  varies  in  width  from  10  to  150  feet,  averaging  46. 

The  rooms  vary  in  width  from  15  to  43  feet.  The  room 
necks  vary  from  6  to  21  feet  in  width  and  6  to  25  feet  in  length, 
the  average  neck  being  12  feet  long  and  12  feet  wide.  In  wid- 
ening the  rooms  either  of  the  two  following  methods  is 
adopted : 

1.  One  side  of  the  necks  is  continued  in  a  straight  line 
forming  a  side  of  the  room.  In  this  case  the  width  of  the 
room  is  gained  by  driving  off  the  opposite  side  of  the  neck  at 
an  angle  either  of  45  degrees  or  of  90  degrees  from  the  direc- 


72 


COAL   MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


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MINING   PKACTICE  73 

tion  in  which  the  neck  was  driven,  until  the  full  width  of  the 
room  has  been  reached ; 

2.  An  angle  of  45  degrees  or  of  90  degrees  is  turned  off 
each  side  of  the  neck,  and  when  the  full  room  width  is  reached 
the  driving  is  continued  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the  room 
neck. 

In  a  few  mines  rooms  have  no  necks  but  are  turned  full 
width  from  the  entry. 

The  length  of  rooms  varies  from  100  to  500  feet,  averag- 
ing 250  and  the  coal  remaining  between  the  rooms,  called  the 
room  pillar,  varies  from  3  to  45  feet,  averaging  19.  Table  8 
gives  dimensions  of  workings  for  the  unmodified  room-and- 
pillar  mines  examined. 

The  mines  in  District  I  are  operated  on  the  longwall  sys- 
tem but  the  unmodified  room-and-pillar  system  is  used  exclu- 
sively in  Districts  ITT,  V,  and  VIII  and  in  a  great  proportion 
of  the  mines  of  all  other  districts  in  Illinois.  The  wide  range 
between  minimum  and  maximum  dimensions  is  an  index  of 
the  great  variation  in  roof  conditions  and  difference  in  judg- 
ment of  the  management.  The  worst  immediate  roof  in  the 
State  is  in  Districts  V  and  VIII.  In  District  VTTT  entries  are 
driven  narrow  but  room  pillars  are  commonly  insufficient. 
In  District  V  entries  are  much  too  wide  and  clean-up  expense 
from  roof  falls  is  high.  Room  pillars  are  narrow  and  because 
too  little  surveying  is  done  and  oversight  is  lax  there  are  fre- 
quent blows-through.  The  easiest  immediate  roof  to  support 
is  in  Districts  ITT  and  IV. 

The  mines  in  District  VI  are  the  deepest  of  those  ex- 
amined and  the  heavy  roof  weight  causes  squeezes  in  mines 
with  unsuitable  pillar  dimensions.  A  squeeze  is  the  crushing 
of  coal  by  the  weight  of  the  overlying  strata  insufficiently  sup- 
ported by  too  narrow  pillars.  Tn  one  mine  85  acres  were 
squeezed;  in  another  80.  There  have  been  from  one  to  six 
squeezes  in  every  unmodified  room-and-pillar  mine  examined 
in  this  district  and  attempts  to  stop  them  have  seldom  been 
successful.  In  one  mine  in  which  they  advance  slowly,  enough 
pillars  are  drawn  ahead  of  a  squeeze  to  cause  a  break;  the 
roof  weight  is  relieved  and  the  squeeze  sometimes  is  checked. 
In  many  mines  where  rooms  are  wide  and  room  pillars  nar- 


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MINING    PRACTICE  'I  i 

row,  squeezes  travel  rapidly  and  there  is  not  sufficient  time  to 
draw  pillars.  Cog  building  and  shooting  the  roof  have  often 
been  resorted  to,  in  one  instance  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  but  these 
efforts  seldom  check  a  squeeze,  which  may  continue  till  a  fault 
or  barrier  pillar  is  reached.  In  one  mine  in  this  district 
operating  on  the  unmodified  room-and-pillar  system  every 
tenth  room  along  the  cross  entries  is  omitted,  leaving  a  pillar 
49  feet  wide  to  check  possible  squeezes. 

In  a  few  mines  in  District  VI  an  east-west  cleat  in  the  coal 
is  so  pronounced  that  top  coal  will  not  stay  up  if  rooms  are 
driven  north  or  south.  In  one  mine  formerly  operating  on 
panels,  which  made  necessary  the  driving  of  rooms  north  and 
south,  the  system  has  been  changed  to  unmodified  room-and- 
pillar  in  order  that  rooms  may  have  an  east-west  direction. 
Pronounced  cleat  is  also  found  in  some  mines  in  District  VII. 

The  chief  cause  of  squeezes  in  all  districts  is  that  too 
great  a  proportion  of  the  coal  is  taken  out  on  the  advance 
working.  Frequently  after  the  first  crosscut  is  reached  in 
driving  rooms  the  pillar  is  gouged,  sometimes  to  the  extent 
that  the  pillar  between  rooms  is  broken  through. 

In  District  VII  where  the  roof  is  in  some  places  limestone, 
called  "rock  top",  and  in  others  shale,  dimensions  are  often 
unsuitable  under  the  limestone.  In  13  of  the  25  mines  ex- 
amined in  this  district  squeezes  have  occurred  and  they  gener- 
ally began  in  a  section  where  the  roof  was  limestone.  In 
many  mines  entries  and  rooms  under  rock  top  are  too  wide 
and  pillars  too  narrow — a  condition  that  has  brought  about 
squeezes  which  sometimes  even  jeopardized  the  shaft.  In  one 
mine  a  squeeze  was  brought  on  by  turning  rooms  off  the  main 
air-course.  Main  entries  35  feet  wide  in  places  in  which  no 
timbering  was  done  were  found  in  this  district.  In  one  mine 
room  pillars  were  so  gouged  under  rock  top  that  on  65-foot 
room  centers  the  dimensions  were :  room  width,  55  feet ;  room 
pillar  width,  10  feet,  and  in  two  mines  squeezes  causing  sur- 
face subsidence  occurred  in  sections  where  rooms  were  30  feet 
wide  and  room  pillars  5  feet  wide. 

Slight  variations  of  the  standard  unmodified  double-entry 
room-and-pillar  system  are  made  in  some  districts  as  would  be 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


expected  where  so  great  difference  exists  in  thickness  of 
seams,  thickness  of  cover,  and  physical  conditions  of  roof  and 
floor. 

In  District  II  the  variable  shale  parting  in  the  seam 
gives  rise  to  two  sets  of  conditions.  Where  the  parting  is 
less  than  4  inches  thick,  the  two  benches  of  the  seam  are 
worked  as  one  and  the  working  faces  in  rooms  and  entries  are 
6  to  7  feet  high  in  places.  Where  the  parting  is  over  4  inches 
thick  the  lower  bench  only  is  mined  and  the  parting  becomes 


Fig.   10.     Arching  of  top  coal  in  entries  in  District  II 

the  mine  roof.  The  lower  bench  averages  3%  feet.  Where 
both  benches  are  worked  and  the  bed  is  over  6  feet  thick  only 
the  lower  6  feet  of  coal  is  mined,  8  to  12  inches  of  top  coal 
being  left.  Where  it  is  possible  to  leave  top  coal  in  entries 
the  roof  is  arched,  as  shown  in  fig.  10.  In  driving  entries  the 
lower  3  feet  of  coal  is  drilled  and  shot  off  the  solid;  but  all 
arching  in  the  upper  3  feet  is  hand  sheared,  with  the  result 
that  the  top  coal  remains  permanently  in  place  and  requires 
no   support  except  where  fractured  by   slips.     Top   coal  is 


MINING    PRACTICE 


79 


arched  in  several  districts  in  Illinois,  but  usually  the  arch  is 
roughly  formed  by  shooting,  and  the  top  coal  is  often  frac- 
tured by  the  shots.  Where  the  two  benches  of  the  seam  are 
united  but  the  coal  is  not  over  6  feet  thick  the  full  thickness 
of  the  bed  is  mined,  and  the  gray  shale  overlying  the  coal 
becomes  the  roof.     In  rooms,  2  to  4  inches  of  this  shale  is 


Fig.   11.     Wing-room  turned  to  avoid  roll  in  District  IV 


drawn  or  comes  down  with  the  coal.  Where  the  lower  bench 
only  is  worked,  by  the  terms  of  the  Illinois  State  Agreement 
between  the  Illinois  Coal  Operators'  Association  and  the 
United  Mine  Workers  of  America  the  miner  brushes  14  inches 
of  roof  over   roadways   in   rooms.     The   width   of   brushing 


80  COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 

varies  from  5  to  8  feet.  The  gob  obtained  is  laid  along  both 
sides  of  the  track.  Numerous  horses  of  micaceous  sandstone 
and  small  faults  cause  difficulty  in  mining  and  add  consider- 
ably to  the  cost  of  coal  production.  In  places  these  horses 
are  of  great  length,  one  of  them  extending  throughout  a  mine. 
In  driving  through  these,  blasting  with  dynamite  is  done  off 
the  solid. 

In  two  mines  in  District  III  in  the  first  room,  number  1, 
on  each  entry  the  room-pillar  crosscuts  are  closed  by  gob 
stoppings  after  the  number  1  rooms  have  holed  through ;  the 
line  of  number  1  rooms  is  kept  open,  thus  providing  two  addi- 
tional air  courses  inasmuch  as  cross-entries  are  turned  off 
both  sides  of  the  main  haulage  entry. 

Districts  IV  and  VIII  are  characterized  by  many  rolls 
where  the  roof,  either  sandstone  or  limestone,  cuts  out  the 
coal.  The  rolls  make  uncertain  the  total  tonnage  which  can 
be  extracted  from  any  area,  and  they  interfere  seriously  with 
any  projected  plan  because  they  are  expensive  to  cut  through. 
In  District  IV  where  a  roll  is  encountered  in  turning  a  room 
off  an  entry  work  on  this  room  is  stopped  and  a  "wing-room" 
is  turned  off  the  adjacent  room,  fig.  11.  The  wing-room 
carries  the  side  of  the  roll  as  a  rib  and  follows  its  course  until 
the  room  reaches  the  position  it  would  have  occupied  if  it  had 
cut  through  the  roll.  It  is  then  continued  on  its  proper 
course.  The  floor  in  District  IV  is  a  fireclay  which  heaves 
badly  even  when  dry.  The  principal  cause  of  the  heaving 
floor  is  insufficient  pillar  width. 

In  one  mine  in  District  V  triple  main  entries  were  driven, 
two  for  intake  air  and  one  for  return  air  and  haulage,  as 
shown  in  fig.  12.  The  shale  of  the  immediate  roof  is  weak  in 
District  V,  often  containing  coal  fingers,  and  breaks  quickly 
when  unsupported  in  wide  spans.  The  roof  shale  is  drawn 
when  it  shows  a  strongly  developed  parting  not  over  4  inches 
above  the  coal ;  but  such  a  parting  rarely  occurs,  and  the  coal 
bed  is  so  thin  that  top  coal  cannot  profitably  be  left  in  place. 
Consequently  when  subjected  to  changes  of  temperature  and 
humidity  in  the  air  current  the  immediate  roof  spalls  badly 
and  as  timber  is  used  sparingly  in  this  district  both  the 
danger  of  accidents  and  the  clean-up  expense  are  increased. 


MINING    PRACTICE 


81 


In  some  mines  about  9  inches  of  bottom  coal  is  left  below  the 
shale  band  but  as  this  bottom  coal  is  not  of  good  quality,  in- 
creased facility  in  shooting  recompenses  for  the  loss  of  the 
coal.    The  igneous  dike  in  the  district  has  not  caused  a  modi- 


Fig.  12.     Plan  of  mine  in  District  V  with  triple  main  entries 


fication  of  the  system  of  mining,  although  it  has  added  locally 
to  the  expense  because  of  the  greatly  increased  cost  of  driv- 
ing through  hard  rock. 

In  an  attempt  to  shorten  the  haul  at  one  mine,  in  District 
VI  pairs  of  cross  entries  are  driven  600  feet  apart.     Rooms 


82 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


are  turned  of!  each  entry  of  a  pair,  but  are  not  advanced  at 
an  equal  rate  on  both  sides.  Those  whose  direction  is  toward 
the  hoisting  shaft  are  stopped  when  they  have  been  driven 
100  feet.  Those  whose  direction  is  away  from  the  shaft  are 
driven  500  feet  to  hole  through  into  the  rooms  100  feet  long 
from  the  adjoining  entry.  The  immediate  roof  overlying  the 
coal  falls  in  slabs  after  short  exposure  to  the  air  and  from  18 
to  30  inches  of  top  coal  is  usually  left  for  a  roof  until  rooms 
are  driven  up. 

In  one  mine  in  District  VII  to  avoid  paying  yardage  and 
to  lessen  the  danger  of  a  squeeze  crosscuts  between  main  and 
back  entries  and  between  cross-entries  are  driven  wide  and 
offset  as  shown  in  fig  13.     In  another  mine  in  the  same  dis- 


50'- o 


Fig.  13.     Offset  crosscut  in  District  VII 


Fig.  14.     Crosscut    in    District    VII 
provide  small  stopping 


to 


trict  narrow  work  is  lessened  and  a  small  stopping  provided 
for  as  shown  in  fig.  14.  The  crosscut  is  driven  its  full  width 
of  21  feet  from  one  entry,  while  from  the  other  of  the  pair  it 
is  driven  only  6  feet  wide  for  a  distance  of  12  feet.  A  large 
area  of  unsupported  roof  is  left  where  this  method  is  fol- 
lowed. 

An  occasional  instance  of  shearing  the  rib  is  found  but 
the  practice  is  not  general.  Shearing  in  a  crosscut  near  an 
air  shaft  in  a  mine  in  District  VII  is  shown  in  fi.g.  15.  At  this 
mine  all  narrow  hand  work  is  driven  8  feet  wide,  and  all  nar- 
row machine  work  10  feet  wide. 

In  District  VIII  as  in  District  IV  the  frequent  occur- 
rence of  rolls  has  a  marked  effect  on  the  manner  of  driving 


MINING   PRACTICE 


83 


rooms  and  when  a  roll  is  encountered  it  is  customary  to 
change  the  direction  of  the  room  and  to  drive  it  parallel  to 
the  roll  until  the  coal  resumes  its  normal  condition.  Often 
it  is  necessary  to  abandon  a  room  before  it  has  been  driven  its 
normal  length.  In  Districts  IV  and  VII  in  several  mines 
every  second  or  third  room  pillar  is  left  solid  without  cross- 
cuts for  the  purpose  of  limiting  the  number  of  rooms  that 
can  be  affected  by  any  lire  which  may  require  sealing  off. 

PANEL    MINES 

In  mines  operating  on  a  true  panel  system  rooms  are 
not  turned  off  from  the  cross-entries,  but,  as  shown  in  fig.  16, 


-*r 


I 

I 


Fig.   15.     Shearing  the  ribs  in  District  VII 

at  intervals  of  500  to  600  feet  along  the  cross-entries  pairs 
of  room-entries,  often  called  panel  entries,  are  tinned  off  at  a 
right  angle  to  the  cross-entries.  The  solid  pillar  of  coal  be- 
tween the  cross-entry  and  the  first  room,  called  the  cross- 
barrier  pillar,  in  Illinois  varies  in  width  from  20  to  150  feet 
and  averages  56.  The  main  barrier-pillar  which  is  the  coal 
left  between  the  main  entry  and  the  ends  of  the  rooms  turned 
off  those  room-entries  which  are  nearest  to  the  main  entry, 
varies  in  width  from  20  to  150  feet,  averaging  68.    The  num- 


Fig.  16.     Plan  of  panel  mine 


MINING    PRACTICE  85 

ber  of  rooms  on  a  room-entry  varies  in  Illinois  from  12  to  35 
and  averages  23. 

The  obvions  advantage  of  a  true  panel  system  is  that 
each  panel  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  pillar  of  solid  coal 
and  is  a  separate  unit  in  operation.  A  squeeze  occurring  in 
any  panel  is  confined  by  the  barrier  pillars,  if  large  enough. 
The  ventilating  current  can  be  regulated  so  as  to  supply  air 
according  to  the  needs  of  each  panel  and  pillar-drawing  can 
be  more  advantageously  practiced,  thus  giving  a  higher  coal- 
recovery. 

In  Illinois  some  of  the  newer  mines  were  opened  on  the 
panel  system  and  some  of  the  older  mines  which  had  been 
unsuccessful  in  preventing  squeezes  under  the  unmodified 
room-and-pillar  system  have  changed  their  system  to  panel. 
There  are,  however,  only  a  few  mines  operating  on  a  true 
panel  system  with  proper  barrier  pillars.  In  many  mines  no 
panel  is  maintained  but  rooms  are  driven  to  hole  through, 
the  main  barrier  pillar  is  gouged,  and  the  cross  barrier  pil- 
lar is  left  so  narrow  that  squeezes  originating  in  rooms  ride 
over  it  and  travel  to  the  main  barrier  pillar  and  to  the  solid 
coal  at  the  entry  face.  Thus  perverted  this  system  is  noth- 
ing better  than  a  block  room-and-pillar  system  and  a  typical 
mine  plan  of  this  type  is  shown  in  fig.  17.  These  mines, 
however,  are  called  panel  mines  and  they  arc  listed  as  such 
in  this  segregation.  This  perversion  of  the  panel  system  is 
the  prime  factor  in  the  number  of  squeezes  which  have  oc- 
curred in  panel  mines  in  Illinois. 

Sixty  per  cent  of  the  mines  listed  by  the  Investigations 
as  panel  mines  have  had  squeezes  as  against  46  per  cent  in 
the  unmodified  room-and-pillar  system.  The  relative  dimen- 
sions of  the  earlier  room-and-pillar  mines  have  often  been 
retained  in  panel  mines  as  shown  in  Table  9.  Inasmuch  as 
unusually  bad  roof  is  one  reason  for  wo  iking  on  a  panel 
system  any  gouging  of  pillars  is  certain  to  lead  to  a  squeeze. 
The  high  percentage  of  squeezes  in  panel  mines  examined  as 
compared  with  that  in  unmodified  room-and-pillar  mines  is 
not  an  indictment  of  the  panel  system  but  is  an  adverse  com- 
mentary on  the  bad  management  which  allows  pillar  gouging 
and  inadequate  barrier  pillars. 


Fig.  17.     Typical  block   room-and-pillar  mine 


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MINING    PRACTICE  89 

In  one  panel  mine  in  District  VI  ribs  are  hand-sheared 
in  all  entries.  In  another,  all  entries  are  driven  on  two 
benches.  The  upper  bench,  4  feet  high,  is  carried  6  feet  ahead 
of  the  lower  bench,  which  is  3  feet  high.  In  an  18-foot  entry 
a  cut  wide  enough  for  a  man  to  work  in  is  hand-sheared  6 
feet  from  the  rib,  and  extends  from  the  top  coal  to  the  lower 
bench.  It  is  claimed  that  this  method  of  entry  driving  is  fast- 
er than  undercutting  with  machines.  In  another  mine,  rooms 
but  not  entries  are  driven  on  two  benches. 

PILLAR  DRAWING 

Pillar  drawing  is  not  general  in  Illinois.  The  mineral 
resources  of  the  State  should  not  longer  be  subjected  to  the 
drain  occasioned  by  the  waste  of  45  per  cent  of  the  coal  in 
the  seam  through  unsuitable  or  antiquated  mining  methods. 
In  other  states,  notably  western  Pennsylvania,  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  Maryland,  almost  complete1  recovery  of  the  seam 
is  being  made  by  driving  narrow  rooms  and  leaving  wide  pil- 
lars, mining  most  of  the  coal  in  the  second  working.  The 
small  value  per  ton  of  the  coal  in  the  ground  based  on  the 
purchase  price  of  the  coal  lights  is  a  factor  in  Illinois  that 
makes  for  wasteful  mining.  At  100  dollars  per  acre  for 
coal  6  feet  thick  the  value  per  ton  in  the  ground  is  approx- 
imately 1  cent  per  ton.  Very  much  of  the  coal  land  now  being 
worked  has  been  purchased  for  a  price  a  great  deal  less  than 
100  dollars  per  acre.  Tn  a  number  of  cases  in  Illinois  where 
surface  subsidence  has  followed  a  squeeze  or  the  drawing 
of  pillars  the  mining  company  owning  only  the  mineral  rights 
has  had  to  pay  damages  greatly  in  excess  of  the  value  of  the 
land.  Companies  that  are  financially  able  should,  therefore, 
secure  the  surface  right  before  beginning  mining  and  sys- 
tematically take1  out  all  of  the  coal  by  working  on  the  re- 
treating system  or  on  some  other  system  by  which  all  of  the 
pillars  may  be  drawn.  The  surface  can  then  be  tiled  and  re- 
sold. The  waste  of  pillar  coal  is  due  largely  to  a  lack  of  un- 
derstanding of  the  comparative  cheapness  of  pillar  work  and 
to  the  fact  that  if  the  space  left  by  the  removal  of  the  coal  is 
not  filled  with  packing  surface  subsidence  may  occur  with 
the  removal  of  the  pillars.     Tn  several  districts  the  surface 


90 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


has  subsided  over  certain  sections  of  some  shallow  mines  so 
as  to  outline  plainly  the  rooms  in  the  workings  below.  Sub- 
sidence is  sometimes  gradual  but  it  may  take  place  rapidly. 
Within  36  hours  after  one  squeeze  the  surface  subsided  4 
feet  over  an  area  of  ten  acres.  Houses  have  sometimes  been 
damaged  and  fences  and  sidewalks  broken  as  the  surface 
settled.  In  several  mines  the  cap  rock  over  the  coal  is  mis- 
sing in  some  places,  and  where  the  coal  is  removed  clay  and 
sand  break  through  into  the  rooms  or  entries  and  sink-holes 
appear  on  the  surface. 

In  District  II  at  one  mine  some  pillar  coal  is  recovered. 
In  this  mine  adjacent  rooms  are  driven  up  and  the  room 
pillar  is  drawn,  where  it  has  not  been  gouged,  by  taking  a 
6-foot  slice  off  each  rib.  It  is  said  that  one-half  of  the  pillar 
coal  is  thus  drawn. 


(a)  (b)  (0 

Fig.  18.     Method  of  drawing  pillars  in  District  III 

A  very  successful  example  of  pillar  drawing  is  found  in 
the  mines  of  the  Coal  Valley  Mining  Company  in  District  III 
These  mines  are  worked  on  the  unmodified  room-and-pillar 
system.  After  the  cross-entry  has  been  driven  to  the  boun- 
dary and  the  rooms  on  it  worked  out,  beginning  with  the 
last  pillar  on  the  entry,  room  pillars  are  drawn  until  the 
pillar  between  rooms  3  and  4  is  reached.  The  room  pillars 
between  the  main  entry  and  room  4  are  left  as  a  protection  to 


MINING    PRACTICE  91 

the  main  entry  and  air  course.  The  method  of  drawing  pil- 
lars is  shown  in  fig.  18.  When  the  room  is  driven  up  full 
length  a  12-foot  cut  is  made  at  the  face  of  the  room  through 
the  pillar  (Fig.  18,  "a").  A  slab  5  feet  wide  (Fig.  18,  " a") 
is  then  shot  off  the  side  of  the  pillar,  after  which  a  slab  4 
feet  wide  is  shot  off  the  end  (Fig.  18,  "b"),  and  the  pillar  end 
is  squared  up  again  by  shooting  another  slab  4  feet  wide  off 
the  end  (Fig.  18,  "c").  The  slabs  shown  in  fig.  18,  "b"  and 
"c",  are  usually  shot  off  with  one  8-foot  hole  and  a  pop  shot 
but  occasionally  a  pop  shot  is  unnecessary  as  the  first  shot 
sometimes  breaks  off  the  entire  slab.  The  process  is  repeat- 
ed beginning  again  as  in  fig.  18,  "d".  The  hard  roof  is  easy 
of  support  and  often  stands  before  a  break  takes  place  while 
25  to  200  feet  of  pillar  is  being  drawn.  When  the  roof  weight 
becomes  too  heavy  the  roof  breaks  at  the  pillar  ends  but  the 
cracking  of  the  props  gives  ample  warning  of  the  break  and 
work  is  discontinued  until  the  roof  comes  down.  The  inter- 
val between  the  first  heavy  cracking  of  props  and  the  roof 
break  is  usually  not  more  than  12  hours. 

A  break  line  of  about  25  degrees  with  the  face  of  the 
rooms  is  roughly  maintained.  It  sometimes  happens  that 
roof  falls  prevent  the  men  from  getting  into  the  squared-up 
pillar  ends  to  continue  drawing  as  described  above,  in  which 
case  a  12-foot  cut  is  again  made  completely  through  the  pil- 
lar as  was  done  at  the  face  of  the  room  when  drawing  began 
and  with  this  new  pillar  end  the  procedure  continues  as  be- 
fore. Very  little  pillar  coal  is  lost  from  this  cause.  Mr. 
Carl  Scholz,  President,  Coal  Valley  Mining  Company,  states 
that  at  mine  No.  3  at  Matherville  not  more  than  4  per  cent 
of  the  pillar  coal  is  lost. 

The  cost  of  producing  coal  is  much  less  on  pillars  than 
on  advance  work  in  rooms.  Room  coal  costs  an  average'  of 
$1.25  per  ton  at  the  pit  mouth  at  the  No.  3  mine  of  the  Coal 
Valley  Mining  Company  and  pillar  coal,  $1,015.  This  dif- 
ference in  cost  exists  because  track,  yardage,  bottom  digging, 
and  driving  through  rolls  and  slips,  are  very  properly  charges 
against  room  coal  while  there  are  no  such  charges  against 
pillar  coal.  When  pillars  are  drawn,  therefore,  the  average 
cost  per  ton  for  the  total  production  is  materially  reduced. 


92 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


At  this  mine  rooms  are  worked  with  one  man  at  the  face  but 
two  men  are  placed  at  each  pillar  and  at  the  face  of  each 
entry. 

In  District  IV  pillars  are  drawn  in  only  a  few  mines  and 
in  these  drawing  is  not  done  systematically  but  is  confined  to 
shooting  slabs  off  the  pillars  where  they  are  thickest.  In 
nearly  all  mines  in  this  district  room-pillars  are  tapered  to 
cross-cuts  as  shown  in  fig.  11.  In  one  mine  an  attempt  was 
made  to  draw  pillars  and  track  was  laid  along  the  rib  but 
objections  were  raised  by  the  miners  to  this  position  of- the 
track  and  the  attempt  was  abandoned. 

In  District  VI  in  some  mines  an  attempt  is  made  to  draw 
pillars  and  pull  top  coal  but  it  is  doubtful  if  more  than  5  to  10 


r^ 


V 


t^ji 


(a)  (b)  (c) 

Fig.  19.     Method  of  drawing  pillais  in  District  VJ 


(d) 


per  cent  of  the  top  coal  is  recovered.  It  is  usually  pulled  be- 
fore pillars  are  drawn.  At  one  mine  a  fairly  good  recovery 
of  it  is  made  after  rooms  are  driven  up  by  making  a  cut  in 
it  12  inches  wide  across  the  room  at  the  face  and  a  cut  5  feet 
long  along  each  rib  beginning  at  the  face.  Props  under  the 
block  of  top  coal  thus  cut  out  are  then  pulled  and  the  coal 
falls.  After  this  block  has  fallen  the  cuts  along  the  ribs  are 
extended  5  feet  further  and  the  props  are  pulled  under  this 
second  block  letting  the  coal  come  down.  This  procedure  is 
continued  as  far  as  possible  along  the  room.  In  this  mine 
about  one-half  of  the  top  coal  in  the  rooms  is  thus  recovered. 
The  most  common  methods  of  gaining  pillar  coal  in  Dis- 
trict VI  are:     (1)   Taking  a  5-foot  slab  from  each  rib,  and 


MINING    PRACTICE  V6 

(2)  making  a  cut  about  18  feet  wide  through  the  pillar 
half-way  between  the  cross-cuts  required  by  law.  The  first 
method  seems  to  be  productive  of  squeezes  inasmuch  as  the 
span  of  unsupported  roof  is  widened  by  slabbing  the  pillars. 
The  second  method  does  not  make  a  sufficient  recovery.  A 
more  elaborate  but  seldom  used  method  is  shown  in  fig.  19. 
In  this  sketch  "a"  shows  the  pillar  between  the  two  cross- 
cuts; "b",  the  first  cut  through  the  pillar;  "c",  the  second 
step  in  drawing;  and  ud",  the  pillar  after  drawing  is  com- 
pleted. There  would  probably  be  less  waste  if  the  blocks 
were  divided  into  rectangles  rather  than  triangles. 

Room  stumps,  if  recovered,  are  not  drawn  till  all  rooms 
on  the  entry  have  been  driven  up  and  all  room  pillars  drawn. 

LONGWALL  MINES 

Nearly  all.  of  the  longwall  mines  in  Illinois  are  located  in 
District  I  but  there  are  4  in  District  IV.  They  all  are  worked 
according  to  the  advancing  system.  Whether  the  coal  is 
reached  by  a  shaft,  slope,  or  drift,  the  entire  seam  is  re- 
moved during  the  advance,  the  work  progressing  in  a  long- 
continuous  face  as  shown  in  fig.  20. 

In  an  Illinois  shaft  mine  operated  on  the  longwall  system 
the  workings  may  be  likened  to  a  wheel.  The  hub  may  repre- 
sent either  the  pillar  of  coal  left  to  preserve  the  air  and  hoist- 
ing shafts,  or  the  building  about  these  shafts  if  no  shaft  pil- 
lar is  left  for  roof  support.  The  haulage  ways  maintained 
through  the  gob  represent  the  spokes  of  this  wheel,  and  the 
working  face  represents  the  rim.  For  some  mines  this 
wheel  would  be  elliptical  rather  than  circular.  In  a  slope  or 
in  a  drift  mine  in  which  the  longwall  system  is  used  the  work- 
ings could  be  shown  by  one-half  of  this  wheel,  either  a  semi- 
circle or  a  semi-ellipse. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  starting  longwall  operations  is 
in  leaving  the  shaft  pillar  and  establishing  the  longwall  face. 
A  common  method  of  procedure  in  this  district,  after  the 
hoisting  shaft  and  air  shaft  have  reached  the  coal,  is  to  drive 
a  main  entry,  as  shown  in  fig.  21,  from  each  side  of  the  hoist- 
ing shaft  for  a  distance  of  about  225  feet.  From  the  airshaft 
two  entries  are  driven  in  opposite  directions  at  right  angles 


94 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


to  the  main  entry,  and  are  continued  until  each  entry  reaches 
that  point  where  a  side  of  the  shaft  pillar  is  to  be  blocked  out, 
or  the  air  shaft  may  be  offset  from  the  line  of  this  entry  as 
shown  in  fig.  20.  The  shaft  pillar  is  now  usually  blocked  out 
by  driving  a  narrow  entry  around  it,  called  the  "entry- 
around-pillar. "  No  formula  is  used  to  determine  the  size  of 
shaft  pillar  necessary  with  a  given  thickness  of  overlying 


Overcasts  shown  thus:    X 
Curtains  shown  thus?     — 

Fig.  20.     Plan  of  long  wall   mine   showing   direction  of   ventilating   current. 

(After  Swift) 

strata,  and  pillars  are  found  in  the  district  as  small  as  60 
feet  square  where  the  coal  has  100  feet  of  cover.  Large  pil- 
lars are  desirable  because,  in  addition  to  preserving  the  integ- 
rity of  the  shafts,  they  provide  for  more  mining  places  when 
operations  begin. 

A  critical  time  in  longwall  mining  is  when  the  first  roof- 
break  occurs  at  the  working  face.     The  roof  may  not  break 


MINING    PRACTICE  95 

until  the  face  has  advanced  about  100  i'eet  from  the  shaft 
pillar ;  and  after  the  face  break  has  taken  place  there  is  a  large 
area  of  settling  roof  overhanging  from  and  supported  by  the 
shaft  pillar.  Consequently  the  roof  will  break  at  the  shaft- 
pillar.  The  subsidence  of  roof  following  this  break  continues 
violently  for  three  weeks  and  more  gradually   for  a  year. 


Fig.  21.     Entries  in  shaft  pillar  in  longwall  mine 

Unless  the  entry-around-pillar  is  protected  by  a  pack  wall  or 
coal  pillar,  it  will  be  closed  by  this  first  violent  roof  subsidence. 
After  the  entry-around-pillar  has  been  established,  openings 
9  feet  wide  as  shown  in  fig.  21,  which  is  a  sketch  of  an  actual 
shaft  pillar,  are  driven  into  the  coal  face  a1  intervals  usually 


96 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


of  42  feet.  When  these  openings  have  progressed  15  feet, 
cuts  9  feet  wide  are  made  on  each  side  of  each  opening  at  a 
right  angle  and  are  driven  until  the  cut  at  the  left  of  one  open- 
ing meets  the  cut  driven  from  the  right  of  the  one  adjacent. 
These  cuts  serve  the  double  purpose  of  establishing  the  long- 
wall  face  and  of  leaving  a  15-foot  coal  pillar  for  the  protection 
of  the  entry-around-pillar. 


Fig.  22.     Pack  walls  around  shaft  pillar  in  longwall  mine 

Sometimes  when  it  is  feared  that  the  coal  of  the  shaft 
pillar  and  entry  pillar  may  spall  off  into  the  roadway  a  strip 
of  coal  15  feet  wide  is  sliced  off  completely  around  the  shaft 
pillar  as  shown  in  fig.  22  and  is  replaced  by  a  pack  wall.  The 
15-foot  pillar  left  for  entry  protection  is  also  replaced  by  a 


MINING    PRACTICE  97 

pack  wall.  The  method  of  blocking  out  the  shaft  pillar  by 
driving  narrow  entries  around  it  is  in  general  use,  but  occa- 
sionally entries  27  feet  wide  are  driven  around  the  pillar, 
and  two  pack  walls  are  built  as  the  entry  advances.  One  pack 
wall  12  feet  wide  is  built  alongside  the  shaft  pillar,  and  one 
6  feet  wide  on  the  future  longwall  face,  leaving  a  haulage 
road  9  feet  wide  between  the  two  walls.  The  necessary  open- 
ings through  the  walls  are  left  for  haulage.  From  the  time 
when  both  hoisting  shaft  and  air  shaft  reach  the  coal,  7  to  10 
months  are  required  for  driving  entries  through  the  shaft 
pillar  and  for  blocking  it  out.  Actual  mining  is  not  usually 
begun  until  the  entries-around-pillar  are  connected,  inasmuch 
as  there  is  no  direct  ventilation  before  the  entries  are  holed 
through  except  by  means  of  temporary  air-boxes  or  pipes. 

An  elliptical  shaft  pillar  may  be  used  instead  of  the  rec- 
tangular. 

In  nearly  all  new  mines  opened  in  the  district  a  pillar  of 
coal  has  been  left  around  the  hoisting  and  air  shafts,  but 
among  the  older  mines  occasional  examples  are  found  where 
no  coal  has  been  left  to  support  the  roof ;  a  total  coal  extrac- 
tion having  allowed  the  roof  around  the  shaft  to  settle  grad- 
ually till  roof  and  floor  meet.  When  no  shaft  pillar  is  to  be 
left  for  roof  support,  as  soon  as  the  hoisting  shaft  reaches 
the  bottom  of  the  coal  the  horned  set  is  placed  on  soft  wood 
doorhead  posts,  about  12  by  12  inches  in  size,  and  the  coal  is 
removed  from  all  sides  of  the  shaft.  The  space  left  by  the 
removal  of  the  coal  is  filled  with  soft  wood  cogs  called  shanties, 
and  with  packs  of  brushing  and  mining  rock.  Through  the 
gob  a  7-foot  roadway  is  opened  up  from  each  side  and  from 
each  end  of  the  shaft,  The  roadway  props  are  sawed  off  at 
the  top  an  inch  at  a  time  as  the  roof  settles  and  new  cap  pieces 
are  driven  in.  In  some  cases  this  sawing  must  be  attended  to 
daily  and  the  roadways  brushed  every  few  days  to  keep  them 
open.  As  the  roof  settles  the  packs  and  shanties  are  com- 
pressed and  squeezed  into  the  fireclay  till  roof  and  floor 
meet.     The  shaft  bottom  is  then  widened  and  timbered. 

The  advantages  claimed  for  removing  the  coal  around 
the  shaft  are  that  the  expense  of  timbering  the  bottom  is 
reduced,  and  that  the  roof-weight  begins  sooner  to  ride  on  the 


98 


COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


working  face.  Those  operators  who  leave  coal  for  shaft  pil- 
lars admit  these  advantages  but  reason  that  the  uncertainty 
of  being  able  so  to  control  subsidence  that  the  shafts  will  not 
be  thrown  out  of  plumb  when  the  pillar  is  removed  is  too 
great.  After  the  shaft  pillar  has  been  blocked  out  and  re- 
moved and  the  longwall  face  established  the  work  progresses 
regularly  in  a  long  continuous  line.     From  each  side  of  the 


Fig.  23.     Plan  of  longwall  mine  with  auxiliary  permanent  entries 

centers  of  the  openings  which  were  left  in  the  entry  pillar  the 
coal  of  the  face  is  removed.  In  order  to  provide  for  haulage 
from  all  parts  of  the  face  to  the  shaft,  roadways  9  feet  wide, 
called  rooms,  are  maintained  as  shown  in  fig.  20,  by  building- 
pack  walls  of  rock.  These  rooms  are  continuations  of  the 
openings  through  the  entry  pillar,  and  the  pack  walls  pro- 
tecting them  are  usually  12  feet  thick.  When  pack  walls  are 
first  made  they  are  often  spaced  10  to  12  feet  apart  to  allow 


MINING    PRACTICE 


99 


for  bulging  when  the  roof  weight  sets  on  them  which  causes 
narrowing  of  the  roadways.  A  track  is  laid  to  the  face  of  each 
room.  In  order  to  save  the  expense  of  a  road  for  haulage 
from  the  face  of  each  room  to  the  main  entry  in  the  shaft 
pillar,  cross-entries  maintained  through  the  gob  by  pack  walls, 
are  turned  off  near  the  shaft  pillar  as  shown  in  fig.  20  and  in- 
tersect the  rooms  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees.  The  second  set 
of  cross-entries  is  usually  225  to  300  feet  from  the  first.  This 
distance  is  maintained  throughout  the  workings. 

This  form  of  longwall  working,  often  called  the  "Scotch 
45-degree  system,"  prevails  where  no  unusual  conditions  ob- 
tain, but  various  modifications  of  the  system  are  found  where 


Fig.  24.     Method  of   working  panel   long  wall.      (After  Ede) 

the  seam  dips  steeply  or  where  roof  and  floor  characteristics 
necessitate  a  departure  from  the  usual  method.  To  provide 
a  better  haulage  from  the  face  in  one  mine  where  heavy  tim- 
bering is  necessary,  entries  are  maintained  from  the  shaft 
pillar  as  shown  in  fig.  23,  bisecting  each  quadrant  formed  by 
the  four  main  roadways,  making  eight  main  haulage  ways  in 
the  mine.  From  both  sides  of  these  eight  main  roads  at  225- 
foot  intervals  cross-entries  are  maintained  at  an  angle  of  45 


100 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


degrees.  When  the  cross-entries  from  adjacent  permanent 
roads  intersect,  one  entry  is  continued  and  the  other  is 
abandoned.  Every  1,700  feet  along  the  left  side  of  each  of 
the  eight  main  haulage  roads  is  turned  a  haulage  entry  per- 
manently timbered. 

Where  the  coal  seam  lies  in  the  LaSalle  anticline  its  dip 
becomes  as  steep  as  51  degrees,  and  the  methods  of  work 
approach  those  of  metalliferous  mining.  While  the  general 
longwall  system  of  main  and  cross-entries  and  rooms  on  the 
45-degree  plan  is  followed,  a  longwall  panel  is  operated  at 
the  face  as  shown  in  fig.  24.    The  coal  from  all  the  face  below 


Table  10. — Dimensions  of  workings  in  longwall  mines 


c 

en 
U 

£ 

ross! 

feet 

ross 
h  main 
egrees 

o       <u 

Width 

of    roadways 

o 

*J  p 

b 

« 

°1 

«" 

p 

"s| 

in  feet 

CJ    O 

c  « 
V 

&p 

<u.S 

C 

3-° 

"35 
o"- 

8gJ| 

G  %  u 

cn.fi    CD 

ill 

c  ?  ti 

o  «  C 

CO    C    U 
-M    O    O 

.2  O  ed 

V 

£ 

P 

Main 

Cross 

Room 

p  p.'H 

ill 

3^2 

* 

Q- 

H 

CO 

Q 

<  ° 

< 

0U^ 

£ 

1 

413 

39 

400  by     600 

225 

45 

45 

42   !      9 

9 

8 

12 

2 

465 

44 

250  by     250 

225 

45 

45 

42         9 

9 

9 

9 

3 

398 

42 

550  by     550 

240 

45 

45 

42    !      9 

9 

9 

9 

4 

546 

40 

No  pillar 

200 

70 

70 

42    !    10 

10 

10 

12 

5 

135 

36 

360  by     560 

275 

45 

45 

42         7 

7 

7 

12 

6 

100 

36 

150  by     300 

225 

45 

45 

42         7 

7 

7 

9 

7 

200 

37 

350  bv     450 

. 

45 

45 

42         8 

8 

8 

9 

8 

300 
Slope 

40 
42 

225 
320 

45 
30 

45 
30 

42 
40 

9 
8 

9 

8 

8 

5 

1? 

9 

9 

10 

480 

42 

500  by     500 

225 

45 

45 

42 

9 

9 

7/2 

12 

11 

530 

34 

600  by  %600 

225 

45 

45 

49 

8 

8 

8 

12 

^This  pillar  was  left  for  the  protection  of  three  hoisting  shafts. 

a  cross-entry  is  thrown  on  a  sheetiron  chute  (Fig.  25),  down 
which  it  slides  to  the  entry  below,  fig.  26.  The  chute  is  built 
of  small  sheets  3  feet  wide  and  8  feet  long  each  having  a  flat 
hook  at  one  end  and  a  hole  at  the  other  to  receive  the  hook 
of  the  next  sheet.  The  chute  is  moved  forward  daily  as  the 
face  progresses.  In  several  mines  cross-entries  are  driven 
off  at  an  angle  of  70  degrees  with  the  main  entries  for  the 
purpose  of  increasing  the  size  of  the  cog  built  to  support 
the  roof  over  the  switches  at  the  junction  of  main  roadway 
and  cross-entries.  Table  10  gives  dimensions  of  workings  at 
each  mine  examined. 


MINING    PRACTICE 


101 


In  all  classes  of  longwall  operation  the  same  general 
method  of  filling  the  space  left  by  the  removal  of  the  coal  pre- 
vails. The  rock  obtained  from  brushing  the  roof,  that  which 
remains  after  building  pack  walls,  and  the  clay  obtained  from 
undermining  the  coal  are  thrown  behind  the  pack  walls  lining 
the  roads.  The  space  between  the  pack  walls  and  also  the 
waste  material  itself  is  called  the  gob.  The  gob  area  is  usually 
filled  with  rock  and  clay  to  within  2  to  5  feet  of  the  coal  face. 
This  loose  rock  and  clay  helps  to  support  the  roof  and  con- 


FlG. 


25.     Face  of  longwall  panel  mine  in  clipping  seam   (photo  by  H.  I.  Smith, 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines) 


trol  the  roof  weight  on  the  coal  face.  After  the  first  break  at 
the  shaft  pillar  and  face — if  the  gob  area  has  been  properly 
filled  so  that  the  roof  weight  rides  on  the  face  of  the  coal — 
other  roof  breaks  occur  every  2  inches  to  6  feet  parallel  to  the 
coal  face  and  extending  upward  away  from  the  face  and 
toward  the  gob  as  the  face  advances.  The  distance  between 
breaks  depends  principally  upon  the  character  of  the  roof  and 
the  packing  of  the  gob.  With  proper  packing  the  distance 
between  breaks  should  correspond  to  the  width  of  coal  brought 


102  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

down.  At  the  face  of  solid  coal  the  cracks  in  the  roof  are 
difficult  to  see,  and  they  do  not  become  easily  visible  until  the 
face  has  advanced  4  to  5  feet. 

The  distance  to  which  these  mining  breaks  extend  into 
the  roof  depends  upon  the  roof  material,  but  they  rarely  ex- 
tend more  than  15  feet  above  the  coal.  The  angle  made  by 
these  breaks  varies  from  50  to  90  degrees  from  the  horizontal, 
depending  upon  the  roof  material  and  the  rate  of  settling.  In 
summer  when  the  face  progresses  slowly  the  cracks  are  more 
nearly  vertical. 

The  seam  in  the  district  is  thin  and  the  price  paid  the 
miner  per  ton  of  coal  mined  includes  brushing  the  roof  of  the 
roadways  to  provide  height  for  haulage.  In  the  La  Salle  field 
the  miner  is  paid  90  cents  per  ton  of  coal  mined  and  he  must 
take  down  24  inches  of  roof  over  the  roadways,  but  any  sub- 
sequent brushing  necessary  is  done  by  the  company.  In  the 
Wilmington  field  the  miner  is  paid  95  cents  per  ton  of  coal 
mined,  but  he  must  maintain  the  roof  of  his  roadway  4  feet 
above  the  rail  between  a  point  40  feet  back  from  the  face  and 
the  switch,  provided  this  distance  does  not  exceed  300  feet. 
He  is  not  required  to  clean  up  any  fall  on  this  roadway  which 
is  not  due  to  his  failure  to  secure  the  roof  properly. 

In  each  of  the  mines  examined  squeezes  closing  the  work- 
ing place  by  filling  them  with  roof  material  have  occurred.  A 
squeeze  takes  place  when  a  room  is  driven  ahead  of  adjacent 
rooms ;  when  a  room  is  allowed  to  lag  behind ;  and  most  com- 
monly when  defective  pack  walls  have  been  built  and  the  gob 
area  has  not  been  sufficiently  filled  with  waste.  The  amount 
of  waste  necessary  to  be  thrown  back  into  the  gob  to  insure 
safety  from  squeeze  depends  upon  the  conditions  in  the  rooms, 
such  as  the  thickness  and  character  of  the  coal,  the  nature  of 
the  roof  and  the  method  of  mining.  The  waste  should  fill  the 
gob  sufficiently  to  allow  the  roof  to  come  down  gradually 
without  breaking  off  short  at  the  face  of  the  pack  walls,  but 
should  not  fill  the  gob  so  completely  that  it  carries  too  much 
of  the  roof  and  does  not  throw  enough  weight  on  the  face  of 
the  coal.  The  better  the  gob  is  packed,  the  better  the  coal 
works.  The  width  of  the  pack  wall,  called  " building, "  neces- 
sary to  prevent  the  walls  from  squeezing  out  and  filling  the 


MINING    PRACTICE 


103 


roadway  when  the  roof  weight  comes  on  them  depends  npon 
local  conditions.  The  Third  Vein  District  Agreement  be- 
tween the  Illinois  Coal  Operators'  Association  and  the  United 
Mine  Workers  of  America  in  Article  1  provides:  "The 
miner  shall  build  4  yards  of  wall  at  each  side  of  his  road,  and 
if  he  has  more  rock  than  is  required  therefor  he  shall  not 
load  any  of  it  until  he  has  filled  his  place  therewith.  In  case 
the  miner  has  not  rock  enough  to  build  his  4  yards  he  shall, 
at  the  request  of  the  company,  begin  his  wall  4  yards  from 


Fig.  26.     Chute  in  panel  longwall  mine  in  dipping  seam  (photo1  by  H.  I.  Smith, 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines) 

■ 

the  roadside;  provided,  that  the  above  shall  not  prohibit 
the  miner,  at  his  option,  from  beginning  his  wall  at  any  great- 
er distance  upon  the  request  of  the  company."  When  some 
part  of  the  face  has  been  allowed  to  lag  behind  and  the  work- 
ing face  has  squeezed,  the  area  is  not  usually  cleaned  up,  but 
the  face  is  diverted  to  pass  around  the  squeezed  area,  some- 
times leaving  a  small  block  of  coal  in  the  gob. 

The  effect  of  the  subsidence  of  the  roof  upon  the  over- 
lying strata  and  upon  the  surface  after  the  coal  has  been 


104 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


removed  has  not  been  clearly  determined.  Surface  subsi- 
dence has  been  the  subject  of  extended  litigation.  While  it 
is  undoubtedly  true  that  there  is  subsidence  of  the  strata  im- 
mediately overlying  the  coal,  opinion  is  divided  as  to  the  ex- 
tent of  this  subsidence.  There  are  not  sufficient  data  avail- 
able from  which  to  formulate  a  general  rule  for  the  amount 
that  results  from  mining  seams  of  different  thicknesses  lying 
at  different  depts  and  under  different  kinds  of  cover. 

Work  at  the  Face 

Room  centers  at  the  longwall  face  are  usually  42  feet 
apart.    Half-way  between  the  center  of  the  road  head  of  each 


Fig.  27.     Props  and  sprags  at   face  of  longwall  mine    (photo  by  H.   I.   Smith, 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines) 

room  and  the  center  of  the  road  head  of  the  adjacent  rooms 
a  prop  called  the  " march  prop"  is  set.  The  42  feet  of  coal 
face  included  between  two  inarch  props  is  called  a  " place.' ' 
Until  recent  years  two  miners  worked  at  every  place  in  all 
longwall  mines,  but  at  present  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 


MINING    PRACTICE  105 

labor  probably  one-half  of  the  places  in  longwall  mines  con- 
tain only  one  miner.  Upon  the  one  miner  or  two  miners,  as 
the  case  may  be,  assigned  to  a  place,  is  the  charge  of  proper 
building  of  pack  walls  along  the  roadway  of  the  room,  and 
of  proper  gobbing  of  the  space  between  the  marches. 

When  the  bed  is  underlain  by  fireclay,  beginning  at  the 
center  of  the  roadway  each  miner  picks  out  the  clay  under 
the  coal  and  makes  an  undercut  8  to  12  inches  high.  This 
undercut  sometimes  extends  2  to  2y2  feet  under  the  coal.  To 
prevent  it  from  falling  on  the  miner  while  he  is  undermining, 
sprags  are  placed  against  the  coal,  spaced  6  to  8  feet  along 
the  face.  To  support  the  roof,  props,  as  shown  in  fig.  27,  are 
set  2  to  5  feet  from  the  face  and  are  spaced  6  to  8  feet  apart. 
With  an  average  depth  of  undermining,  a  good  miner  can 
undercut  about  20  feet  of  face  a  day  when  working  in  soft 
clay  8  to  12  inches  thick. 

When  a  car  is  to  be  loaded,  that  portion  of  the  coal  is 
taken  which  has  been  standing  longest  on  sprags.  These  are 
knocked  away  from  the  coal  with  a  sledge  and  if  the  gob  has 
been  properly  filled  so  that  the  roof  weight  is  riding  on  the 
face,  the  coal  breaks  away  from  the  roof  and  is  ready  for 
loading.  If  the  coal  sticks  to  the  roof  and  does  not  break 
when  the  sprags  are  knocked  away,  it  is  pried  down  with 
wedges  driven  by  a  sledge  between  the  roof  and  the  coal. 

The  operators  in  the  district  report  that  under  reasona- 
bly good  conditions  of  longwall  mining,  approximately  80 
per  cent  of  l^-inch  lump  is  produced;  but  with  varying  physi- 
cal characteristics  of  roof,  coal,  and  floor  modifications  of 
mining  procedure  are  found.  These  modifications  may  be 
disadvantageous  to  the  operator  by  increasing  the  amount 
of  slack  and  may  endanger  the  life  and  limb  of  the  miner  by 
increasing  the  number  of  falls  of  coal  and  roof. 

If  the  fireclay  usually  underlying  the  coal  is  absent  and 
the  floor  material  is  sandstone,  or  if  the  fireclay  is  much  over 
18  inches  in  thickness,  undermining  is  done  in  the  coal  itself. 
The  amount  of  slack  made  by  undermining  the  coal  is  large. 
The  practice  is  further  undesirable  in  that  it  increases  the 
number  of  gob  fires  because  more  fine  coal  is  thrown  into 
the  gob  with  the  waste. 


106 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


To  save  time  and  labor  the  miner  often  neglects  to  sup- 
port the  coal  on  sprags  until  the  usual  two  feet  of  under- 
mining is  completed,  but  he  makes  a  cut  4  to  8  inches  deer> 
and  pries  down  the  undermined  coal  with  a  pick,  or  wedges  it 
down.  This  method  does  not  allow  the  slow  breaking  of  the 
coal  by  roof  weight ;  consequently  more  accidents  occur,  and 
more  slack  and  smaller  coal  result  than  when  full  under- 
mining is  insisted  upon.  Enforcement  of  spragging  would  be 
a  distinct  advantage  to  the  miner  and  to  the  operator.  The 
disproportionate  number  of  accidents  in  the  district  in  ratio 
to  its  tonnage  would  be  decreased,  and  10  to  15  per  cent  more 
lump  coal  would  be  made  if  proper  undermining  were  en- 
forced. 

Table  11. — Blasting  in  longwall  mines 


Is  coal  shot  down? 

Ih 
V 

O 
Pi 

"o 

<u 

J} 

Explosive    used    in 
brushing   roof 

bo  o 
C    o 

|* 

£  >> 

S.s 

^  -,   .5 

5       0       M 

if* 

Drill  holes 
in  coal 

V 

1 

c 

E  .5 
5  -5 

be  <u 

1 

No   

None 

Both... 
Clay  .  . . 
..do... 
Coal. . . 
Clay... 
..do... 

80 
83 
79 
65 
70 
80 

73 
73 
Mine  run 
83 

383 

"\yA 
1/2 

13/4 

2 
2V2 

2 

3 

4 

S 

Under  nigger  heads.... 
Under  black  shale  only. 

Yes  

Yes    

FF  ... 
FF  ... 
FFF  .. 
FF  ... 

Black  powder 

40  per  cent  dynamite 

Black  powder 

40  per  cent  dynamite 
. .  do  

2/2 

4 
5 
4 

n 

No   

7 

Yes  

FF  ... 

FF  ... 
FF  ... 

60  per  cent  dynamite 
Black  powder 

..do... 
..do... 

4 

8 

Under  black  shale  only. 
Yes 

4 

Q 

35  per  cent  dynamite 
30  per  cent  dynamite 
45  per  cent  dynamite 

..do... 
Both... 
..do... 

7 

in 

No   

11 

No   

1  Figures  furnished  by  operators. 

2  Over  iy2   inches. 

3  Over  %  inch. 


If  niggerheads  make  up  part  of  the  roof  and  if  the  floor 
contains  rolls,  explosives  are  used  to  bring  down  the  coal. 
In  this  district  black  powder  is  used  unnecessarily  in  several 
mines.  The  effect  of  its  use  is  illustrated  in  one  mine  where 
owing  to  niggerheads  in  the  black  shale  roof  the  coal  is  shot 
down  in  a  small  section  of  the  mine.     Ten  per  cent  more 


MINING   PRACTICE  107 

slack  results  in  the  section  where  shooting  is  necessary  than 
in  the  other  sections  of  the  mine.  The  roof  is  injured  by  the 
blasts  and  is  made  difficult  to  support  at  the  working  places. 
Table  11  gives  data  on  blasting  in  longwall  mines. 

No  longwall  undercutting  machines  are  used  in  this  dis- 
trict. 

Inasmuch  as  the  coal  seam  contains  many  pyrite  concre- 
tions which  if  thrown  into  the  gob  with  the  waste  or  built  into 
the  pack  walls  might,  it  is  believed,  cause  gob-fires,  an  at- 
tempt is  made  to  separate  this  "sulphur"  from  the  shale  and 
clay.  The  Third  Vein  District  Agreement  between  the  Illi- 
nois Coal  Operators  Association  and  the  United  Mine  Work- 
ers of  America  provides  in  Article  VII  that  "no  sulphur 
shall  be  put  in  the  building  or  march  without  the  company's 
permission.  When  the  rock  is  loaded  out  the  sulphur  shall  be 
loaded  with  it.  When  no  rock  is  loaded  out  the  sulphur  shall 
be  left  along  the  roadside,  except  that  where  the  company  so 
elects,  the  miner  shall  load  it  properly  and  receive  therefor 
15  cents  per  car,  if  the  average  coal  capacity  is  less  than  1,500 
pounds,  and  22-^  cents  per  car  where  larger  cars  are  used." 
In  spite  of  this  agreement  considerable  sulphur  is  thrown  in 
the  sob. 


&' 


STRIPPING  MINES 

The  stripping  system  is  used  where  the  overburden  can 
be  removed  economically  from  the  coal  by  a  steam-shovel  or 
other  mechanical  means,  thus  exposing  the  coal  which  is  then 
quarried. 

In  the  Danville  district  the  removal  of  overburden  from 
coal  lying  at  depths  of  20  to  30  feet  below  the  surface  has 
been  practiced  for  a  longer  time  and  more  extensively  than 
it  has  in  any  other  district  in  Illinois.  Beginning  in  1866 
with  the  primitive  method  of  exposing  the  coal  by  removing 
a  very  shallow  overburden  by  means  of  scrapers  dragged  by 
horses  the  process  developed  slowly,  horse  scrapers  being- 
replaced  about  1900  by  the  drag-line  steam-shovel.  Later, 
standard  shovels  were  substituted  for  the  drag-line  and  they 
in  turn,  were  replaced  by  revolving  steam-shovels  in  1910. 


MINING    PRACTICE 


109 


The  methods  of  stripping  now  employed  in  the  district 
differ  in  the  path  which  the  shovel  follows  while  digging,  in 
the  manner  in  which  the  top  soil  is  removed  from  the  shale 
overlying  the  coal,  and  in  the  disposal  of  the  spoil.  In  one 
method  the  shovel  makes  a  continuous  cut  about  50  feet  wide 
in  a  circle  around  the  area  to  be  stripped  and  the  coal  exposed 


Fig.  29.     Steam -shovel  digging 


erburden 


behind  the  shovel  is  mined.  The  shovel  having  completed  the 
first  circle  begins  a  second  just  inside  the  first  and  continues 
to  move  in  circles  with  constantly  decreasing  diameters. 

In  the  second  method,  the  shovel  instead  of  traveling  in 
a  circle  goes  forward  and  back  across  the  property  in  parallel 
straight  lines,  a  haulage-way  for  disposing  of  the  material 
mined  being  maintained  at  one  side  of  the  property. 


MINING   PKACTICE  111 

Where  the  shale  overlying  the  coal  is  to  be  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  brick  or  for  other  purposes  and  is  overlaid  by 
soil,  the  soil  is  first  removed  by  hydraulicing.  As  fast  as  the 
coal  is  mined,  the  top  soil  for  50  feet  from  the  edge  of  the 
bank  of  the  cut  is  washed  off  into  the  pit  left  by  the  removal 
of  the  coal.  For  washing  off  the  top  soil  hydraulic  monitors 
under  a  pumping-head  are  used  as  shown  in  fig.  28.  The 
amount  of  top  soil  washed  per  eight-hour  shift  varies  with 
the  material  removed ;  in  tight  ground  100  cubic  yards  may  be 
the  total  for  eight  hours;  in  loose  ground,  2,000  cubic  yards 
may  be  washed  off.  Fig.  29  shows  the  shovel  digging  the 
shale  overburden  and  exposing  the  coal  after  the  top  soil 
has  been  washed  off.  In  blasting  stripped  coal,  holes  2% 
inches  in  diameter  are  drilled  12  feet  apart  at  a  distance  of 
5  to  9  feet  from  the  face.  These  holes  are  drilled  with  a 
hand  auger  or  with  an  air  drill,  the  air  being  furnished  by 
a  portable  compressor.  The  average  charge  of  powder  is 
iy2  pounds  per  hole,  and  the  average  gain  per  25-pound  keg 
of  powder  is  250  tons. 

At  one  stripping  mine  in  the  district  the  steam-shovel 
digs  a  permanent  haulage-way  along  one  side  of  the  area  to 
be  stripped.  At  the  end  of  this  haulage  cut  a  "thorough-cut" 
about  50  feet  wide  is  made  along  the  boundary  of  the  property. 
The  exposed  coal  is  mined  behind  the  shovel  as  shown  in 
fig.  30.  When  the  thorough-cut  reaches  the  property  line 
the  shovel  turns  around  and  digs  the  overburden  from  another 
strip  about  50  feet  wide  depositing  the  spoil  in  the  pit  made 
by  the  removal  of  the  coal  exposed  by  the  thorough-cut. 

Fig.  31  shows  a  steam-shovel  which  elevates  Hie  spoil 
by  a  belt-conveyor  and  deposits  it  along  the  side  of  the  shovel 
cut.     This  has  been  replaced  by  a  revolving  steam  shovel  with 
a  very  long  beam. 

The  total  cost  of  mining  coal  by  stripping  the  overburden 
varies  on  a  daily  output  of  300  tons  per  day  from  40  to  50 
cents  per  ton  loaded  on  the  cars. 

Stripping  is  also  done  in  District  VI  near  Duquoin  where 
the  overburden  is  removed  with  horse-scrapers.  In  Districts 
I  and  VII  steam-shovels  are  used  for  stripping. 


DRAINAGE 

Coal  mines  in  Illinois  are  not  troubled  with  large  quanti- 
ties of  water.  Generally  the  shallowest  mines  are  the  wettest 
because  surface  water  seeps  through  the  roof  or,  where  the  cap 
rock  is  lacking  as  in  some  places  in  Districts  II  and  IV,  sand 
and  water  flow  into  the  mine  through  caves  to  the  surface. 
The  most  water  recorded  in  Illinois  is  in  a  mine  in  District  II 
where  approximately  1,000,000  gallons  per  24  hours  flow  into 
the  mine  through  caves.  This  water  is  pumped  out  through 
drill  holes  by  two  automatically-started  electric  turbine  pumps 
of  ?50  gallons  per  minute  capacity;  two  stationary  electric 
pumps  of  180  gallons  per  minute  capacity;  and  iive  portable 
electric  pumps  discharging  70  gallons  per  minute.  Water 
flows  into  some  mines  through  channels  in  the  floor  under  the 
coal.  Often  the  only  sources  of  water  in  Illinois  mines  are 
the  hoisting  and  air  shafts  and  sometimes  the  faces  of  rooms. 
If  the  water  collects  in  swamps  in  entries  and  it  is  necessary 
to  install  pumps  inby  they  are  usually  operated  by  electricity, 
seldom  by  air.  The  main  pumps  at  the  shaft  bottom  are 
usually  operated  by  steam  but  sometimes  by  electricity,  air, 
or  gasoline. 

The  source  of  the  water  at  the  shaft  sump  can  usually  be 
told  by  its  character.  Where  the  water  is  acid  it  has  been 
derived  principally  from  seepage  and  its  acidity  is  caused 
by  the  solution  of  iron  sulphate;  where  it  is  neutral  chemi- 
cally it  is  surface  water  which  has  seeped  through  the  shaft 
directly  into  the  sump.  At  one  mine  it  is  sufficiently  pure  to 
give  to  the  mules  which  are  stabled  underground. 


(113) 


BLASTING 

At  the  present  time  almost  one-half  of  the  coal  output  of 
Illinois  is  produced  by  the  dangerous  and  wasteful  meth- 
od of  shooting  off  the  solid.  The  charges  of  powder  in  the 
drill-holes  are  far  in  excess  of  the  amount  allowable  for  min- 
ing coal  safely  and  the  tonnage  of  slack  coal  produced  by  over- 
charged shots  is  needlessly  high. 

In  District  I  (Longwall)  powder  is  used  at  the  face  only 
occasionally,  hence  only  mines  other  than  longwall  are  con- 
sidered under  this  caption. 

No  difference  is  apparent  in  blasting  practice  between 
mines  operated  on  the  unmodified  room-and-pillar  system  and 
those  operated  on  the  panel  system. 

In  local  mines  blasting  methods  are  usually  bad  and 
shooting  off  the  solid  prevails  wherever  blasting  is  done. 
Holes  12  feet  deep  in  a  5  foot  seam  are  not  uncommon.  In  a 
few  shallow  mines  especially  in  District  III  no  shooting  is 
done,  and  the  coal  is  brought  down  by  wedge  and  sledge. 
Vertical  cuts  about  18  inches  wide  and  2  feet  deep  are 
made  in  the  coal  at  15  foot  intervals  and  an  undercut  about  3 
inches  high  and  2  feet  deep  is  made  along  the  face.  Steel 
wedges  are  driven  between  roof  and  coal  at  3-foot  intervals 
and  the  coal  breaks  away  in  large  blocks.  The  longwall  sys- 
tem can  not  be  used  at  these  mines  because  where  the  coal  is 
removed  under  any  considerable  area  of  roof,  caves  extend  to 
the  surface  and  sand  and  water  pour  into  the  mine.  For  this 
reason  no  attempt  to  draw  pillars  is  made  at  these  mines. 

Shooting  off  the  solid  in  shipping  mines  is  done  in  every 
district  although  less  in  District  VI  than  in  others.  The 
general  custom  throughout  the  State  in  mines  where  shoot- 
ing off  the  solid  is  practiced  is  to  shoot  off  the  weak  rib,  that 
is,  off  the  rib  presenting  the  greater  area  of  free  surface. 
Three  to  seven  shots  constitute  a  round.  At  a  mine  in  Dis- 
trict III  shooting  in  rooms  is  done  off  the  solid  but  one-half 
of  the  face  is  kept  about  eight  feet  in  advance  of  the  other 
half.  The  small  amount  of  powder  required  per  ton  of  coal  to 
gain  the  rear  half  of  the  face  is  offset  by  the  amount  neces- 

(114) 


BLASTING 


115 


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COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


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BLASTING 


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sary  to  bring  down  the  tight  coal  of  the  advanced  half.  Shoot- 
ing off  the  solid  should  be  abandoned  in  Districts  V  and  VI 
where  the  combination  of  explosive  gas  and  dust  renders  the 
practice  especially  dangerous. 

At  the  mines  examined  22  tons  of  coal  were  gained  per 
keg  of  powder  as  against  101  tons  per  keg  after  mining  ma- 
chines. Table  12  gives  data  for  the  practice  in  solid  shooting 
mines.  The  percentage  of  coal  undercut  by  machines  is  in- 
creasing too  slowly.  Table  13  gives  comparative  data  on 
coal  cutting  and  blasting  conditions  in  Illinois  since  1900. 
This  table  does  not  show  the  decrease  in  amount  of  powder 
that  should  be  expected  from  the  increased  use  of  coal  cut- 
ting machines. 

Table  13. — Coal  catting  data  since  19001 


Year 


Total 
production 


Per   cent   mined 
by  machines 


No.   mining 
machines 


Tons    of    coal    pei 
keg     of     powder 


1900 

25,153,929 

22.2 

430 

40.7 

1910 

48,717,853 

37.3 

1289 

35.7 

1912 

57,514,240 

AAA 

1581 

38.9 

1913 

61,846,204 

48.8 

1689 

40.9 

1914 

60,715,795 

51.8 

1828 

42.3 

1  Shipping   mines  only.     Compiled    from   Thirty-first   Annual   Coal   Report   of 
Illinois. 


Electric  chain,  air  puncher,  and  few  pneumelectric  under- 
cutting machines  are  used  in  the  State.  Puncher  machines 
are  usually  found  at  mines  of  moderate  production  where 
mules  are  used  on  the  main  haulage.  At  mines  equipped 
with  electric  haulage  electric  mining  machines  are  usually  in- 
stalled. The  chain-breast  machine  is  commonest  in  Illinois, 
but  the  chain  short-wall  is  rapidly  growing  in  favor.  At  the 
mines  examined  the  average  number  of  tons  of  coal  undercut 
per  day  per  machine  is  113.  The  puncher  machine  usually 
undercuts  from  40  to  90  tons  per  day  and  the  chain-breast 
machine  from  135  to  200.  The  average  chain  machine  will 
supply  coal  for  15  loaders.  Table  14  gives  blasting  data  for 
mines  undercutting  the  coal  by  machines. 


118 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


The  usual  method  of  supplying  air  to  puncher  machines 
is  as  follows:  From  the  surface  9-inch  mains  run  down 
the  pipeway  in  the  shaft  to  a  receiver  placed  300  feet  from 
the  bottom  of  the  shaft.  From  the  receiver  a  6-inch  line  is 
run  to  the  face  of  the  main  entries  and  this  6-inch  line  is 
tapped  by  a  3-inch  branch  running  to  each  pair  of  cross- 
entries  to  the  rooms. 

Fig.  32  shows  a  typical  method  of  placing  shots  after  a 
puncher  machine. 


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FRONT 


PLAN 
Fig.  32.     A  method  of  placing  shots  after  puncher  undercutting  machine 

"~The  face  which  is  undercut  by  chain  machines  is  sup- 
posed to  be  snubbed  for  a  depth  equal  to  one-half  the  depth 
of  the  undercut.  Snubbing  usually  is  only  18  inches  deep, 
however,  and  the  height  of  face  snubbed  varies  from  18  to 
24  inches.  In  No.  6  seam  the  face  is  snubbed  to  the  blue  band. 
Fig.  33  shows  a  common  method  of  placing  holes  after  chain 
machines  where  black  powder  is  used  and  fig.  34,  where  per- 
missible explosives  are  used.  The  position  of  drill  holes  and 
their  number  vary  between  wide  limits.  The  usual  practice 
with  chain  machines  is  to  use  one-third  pick  bits  and  two- 
thirds  chisel  bits.    In  District  IV  seam  No.  5  has  always  been 


BLASTING 


119 


considered  hard  and  in  this  district  only  chisel  bits  are  used 
in  the  chain. 

In  a  mine  in  District  VI  where  entries  are  driven  on  two 
benches,  shooting  is  done  with  size  F  black  powder,  and  the 


PLAN 


Fig.  33.     Method  of  placing  holes  where  black  powder  is  used 


PLAN 


Fig.  34.     Method  of  placing  holes  where  permissible  explosives  are  used 

holes  are  arranged  as  shown  in  fig.  35.  At  another  mine  in 
this  district  all  holes  are  drilled  with  air-drills.  Unless  the 
miner  desires  to  point  his  own  holes  all  holes  are  pointed  by 


120 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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BLASTING  123 

the  drill-runner.  The  operator  of  this  mine  states  that  on  ac- 
count of  the  differential  in  wage  scale  he  finds  no  advantage 
in  the  nse  of  power  drills. 

Hydraulic  mining  machines  have  been  tried  in  one  or 
two  districts  but  the  machines  did  not  perform  successfully 
on  account  of  the  strength  of  the  coal  and  the  lack  of  cleat. 

There  are  used  in  blasting  coal  annually  in  Illinois  about 
32  million  pounds  of  black  powder  and  about  one  million 
pounds  of  permissible  explosives.  The  standard  sizes  of 
black  powder  according  to  the  Revised  Mining  Statutes  of 
Illinois  are  the  following : 

Name  Size  in  inches 

CCC  Through  40/64;  over  32/64 

CC  Through  36/64;  over  26/64 

C  Through  27/64;  over  18/64 

F  Through  20/64 ;  over  12/64 

FF  Through  14/64 ;  over    7/64 

FFF  Through    9/64 ;  over    3/64 

FFFF Through     5/64;  over    2/64 

The  larger  the  grain,  the  slower  combustion  proceeds 
and  the  slower  does  the  force  of  the  explosion  develop.  The 
sizes  in  ordinary  use  in  Illinois  range  from  CC  to  FF.  In  a 
comparatively  soft  material  like  coal  it  is  obvious  that  FF,  a 
"quick"  powder  will  have  a  greater  shattering  effect  than 
the  coarse-grained  CC  which  rends  more  than  it  shatters. 
With  a  quick  powder  too  much  slack  coal  is  made,  but  since 
the  gross-weight  law  went  into  effect  FF  is  the  favorite  pow- 
der with  the  miners.  The  waste  of  lump  coal  resulting  from 
its  improper  use  in  too  large  quantities  has  been  very  great. 
This  is  especially  true  in  undercut  coal  where  the  size  of  the 
powder  is  usually  too  small  and  the  weight  of  the  charge  too 
great.  With  explosive  gas  in  quantities  large  for  Illinois  and 
with  an  explosive  dust  the  use  of  a  long-flame  explosive  in 
Districts  V  and  VI  should  be  abandoned.  Nearly  every  mine 
in  these  districts  has  had  one  or  more  fires  and  explosions 
caused  by  the  flame  of  black  powder  igniting  feeders  of  gas 
near  the  face.  As  tested  in  an  unyielding  steel  cannon  the 
flame  of  black  powder  will  extend  more  than  three  times  as 
far  into  the  open  air  as  the  flame  of  an  equivalent  shot  of 
permissible  explosive,  and  in  coal,  owing  to  the  quick  action 
of  the  permissible,  the  drill  hole  will  be  enlarged  and  in  many 


124  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

cases  the  flame  will  not  emerge  from  the  hole.  In  order  to 
ignite  inflammable  gas  and  dust  mixtures  a  high  temperature 
acting  through  a  certain  length  of  time  is  necessary.  The 
flame  temperatures  of  all  explosives  are  higher  than  is  neces- 
sary to  ignite  these  inflammable  mixtures,  and  the  duration  of 
black  powder  flame  is  much  longer  than  the  minimum  for  an 
ignition.  The  flame  of  permissible  explosives  in  proper 
charges  properly  detonated  is  of  such  short  duration  that  it 
does  not  ignite  these  mixtures.  The  quantity  of  permissible 
used  for  a  shot  should  not  exceed  1%  pounds. 

In  Illinois  only  nitroglycerin  powders  are  used.  They 
contain  free  water  or  an  excess  of  carbon  for  the  reduction 
of  flame  temperature  and  usually  contain  salts  that  decrease 
their  strength  and  shattering  effect.  They  detonate  easily 
and  are  very  little  affected  by  moisture.  The  explosive  is 
usually  purchased  in  cartridges  6  to  8  inches  long  and  1% 
inches  in  diameter.  In  one  mine  a  test  showed  that  25  pounds 
of  a  permissible  gained  180  tons  of  coal  and  25  pounds  of 
black  powder  91  tons.  Permissible  explosives  are,  therefore, 
cheaper  for  the  miner,  as  25  pounds  of  black  powder  cost 
$1.75  and  25  pounds  of  a  permissible  explosive  $2.45.  It  is 
generally  supposed  that  a  permissible  explosive  with  its  great- 
er shattering  effect  gives  a  larger  per  cent  of  slack  coal.  This 
depends  in  a  great  measure  upon  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
used  and  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  coal.  Used  pro- 
perly a  permissible  does  not  make  more  slack. 

The  use  of  permissibles  is  fortunately  increasing  in 
Districts  V  and  VI.  The  amount  used  in  Illinois  during  the 
last  four  years  is,  as  given  in  the  Coal  Reports  of  Illinois : 

No.  pounds  of  per- 
Year  missible  explosives  used 

1911 243,099 

1912 328,075 

1913 603,420 

1914 930,596 

A  Co-operative  Bulletin  by  J.  R.  Fleming,  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Mines  on  "The  Use  of  Permissible  Explosives  in  the  Coal 
Mines  of  Illinois, ' '  will  soon  be  published. 

In  90  per  cent  of  the  examined  mines  which  shoot  off  the 
solid  shots  are  fired  with  fuse  but  in  mines  undercutting  the 


BLASTING 


125 


coal  60  per  cent  of  the  shots  are  fired  with  squibs.  In  Dis- 
trict IV  shots  formerly  were  fired  by  squibs  in  the  mines 
examined  but  as  numerous  accidents  occurred  through  miners 
or  shot-firers  returning  too  soon  to  the  face  to  discover  the 
cause  of  missed  shots  fuse  was  substituted. 


^==m                                            - 

—=^ 

— i     - 

— -         ■  - 

-=_— ^=  =. 

■■DM 

r  Ir 

3 

■ 

* 6' 

.    2'-  • 

-         4'l-    J 
18+18" 

11.18 

— u 

1 

Fig.  35.     Method   of   shooting   with   two  benches 

With  fuse  and  squibs  in  black  powder  and  with  fuse  and 
caps  in  permissibles  about  1  per  cent  of  the  holes  misfire. 

Fireclay  makes  good  tamping  but  it  is  easier  to  use 
bug  dust,  that  is  pick  or  machine  cuttings,  for  filling  dum- 
mies than  to  dig  clay  from  the  floor.  Bug  dust  is  often 
used  for  tamping  although  its  use  is  forbidden  by  the 
State  law.  The  usual  custom  throughout  the  State  is  to  use 
21/2  feet  of  tamping  in  holes  charged  with  black  powder  or 
permissibles. 

To  blast  without  shot-firers  or  in  mines  not  free  from  gas 
in  Illinois  requires  the  restriction  of  the  weight  of  a  charge 


126  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

of  black  powder  to  two  pounds.  In  many  cases  this  restric- 
tion is  not  observed.  By  relying  on  large  quantities  of  powder 
per  round  the  miners  are  becoming  less  skillful  in  placing 
their  shots.  At  one  mine  where  two  men  were-  killed  by  a 
blown-out  shot  a  drill  hole  was  measured  eleven  feet  in  length 
and  three  inches  in  diameter.  At  many  mines  the  number  of 
tons  of  coal  gained  per  keg  of  powder  has  decreased  from  25 
to  16  since  the  introduction  of  shot-firers.  The  miners  drill 
longer  holes  and  put  in  heavier  charges  when  they  do  not  fire 
their  own  shots  and  when  consequently  they  are  not  exposed 
to  the  danger  resulting  from  blown-out  shots.  The  excess 
of  powder  above  that  necessary  to  bring  down  the  coal  shat- 
ters it  producing  an  unnecessary  amount  of  slack,  cracks  the 
roof  increasing  the  danger  of  accident  from  roof-fall,  and 
causes  fires  at  the  face. 

Carelessness  in  filling  cartridges  is  common.  The  men 
can  see  better  with  their  lamps  on  their  caps  than  when 
their  lamps  are  at  the  required  distance  from  the  cartridge. 
Occasional  explosions  of  powder  while  the  miner  is  opening 
the  metal  keg  with  a  pick  emphasize  the  danger  of  this  general 
custom.  In  District  VI  much  of  the  powder  is  purchased  in 
paper  kegs  but  in  other  districts  the  metal  keg  is  preferred. 

For  the  transportation  of  powder  from  the  top  to  the 
partings,  special  cars  have  been  built  at  some  mines.  Several 
explosions  of  powder  during  transport  in  the  last  two  years 
resulting  in  loss  of  life  and  partial  wrecking  of  t  the  mines 
emphasize  the  need  of  specially  protected  cars  for  the  deliv- 
ery of  powder  to  the  face. 

Fires  at  the  face  after  shooting  are  frequent  in  Districts 
V  and  VI  at  mines  where  black  powder  is  used  and  at  these 
mines  fire-runners  are  employed  to  inspect  the  blasted  coal 
after  shooting.  In  some  mines  20  to  30  fires  start  after  each 
shooting.    There  are  no  fires  after  shooting  with  permissibles. 


TIMBERING 

The  difference  in  mining  methods  between  the  longwall 
and  room-and-pillar  systems  makes  it  impossible  to  compare 
timbering  in  District  I  and  the  other  districts  consequently 
timbering  in  District  I  (Longwall)  will  be  discussed  sep- 
arately. 

TIMBERING  IN  LONGWALL  MINES 

The  continued  settling  for  a  considerable  period  of  time 
of  the  strata  overlying  the  coal  in  longwall  mines  makes  tim- 


Fig.  36.     Entry  closely  timbered  in  longwall  mine 


bering  of  roadways  difficult  and  expensive.    Permanent  tim 
bering  can  be  extended  only  to  that  point  where  the  first 
rapid  and  violent  settling  has  ceased,  and  it  is  not  usual 

(127) 


128  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

to  extend  permanent  timbering  to  any  point  until  the  face  has 
been  advanced  beyond  it  for  at  least  two  years.  Eoof  breaks 
destroy  the  cohesion  of  the  shale  and  large  masses  of  rock 
must  be  supported  by  timber  so  that  the  collars  of  the  three- 
piece  gangway  set  must  be  heavier  than  those  ordinarily  used 
in  room-and-pillar  entries.  For  usual  timbering  with  ordin 
ary  roof  conditions  an  8-inch  cross  bar  is  supported  by  6-inch 
legs.  The  legs  are  battered  1%  inches  for  each  vertical  foot 
between  rail  and  cross  bar.  Under  bad  roof  the  entry  is  usually 
closely  timbered  as  shown  in  fig.  36.  The  frames  in  this  illus- 
tration have  white  oak  legs  8  inches  in  diameter  and  10-inch 
white  oak  cross  bars.  These  frames  are  spaced  on  6-foot 
centers,  and  the  top  and  sides  of  the  entry  are  lagged  with 
split  and  round  props  4  to  5  inches  in  diameter. 

When  it  is  necessary  to  support  the  increased  area  of 
roof  resulting  from  turning  off  a  cross  entry  from  the  main 
entry,  or  from  turning  rooms  from  a  cross  entry,  cogs  called 
"branch  cogs"  are  built  with  props.  These  cogs  are  filled 
to  two-thirds  of  their  height  with  waste  rock  and  mining  dirt. 
They  are  not  completely  filled  because  it  is  necessary  to  allow 
for  settling  of  the  overlying  strata  which  crushes  the  cog 
as  the  weight  comes  on  it.  A  cog  built  4  feet  high  above  the 
floor  will  in  18  months  be  crushed  to  a  height  of  but  18  inches 
above  the  floor.  If  cogs  were  entirely  filled  with  waste  rock 
and  dirt  they  would  offer  too  much  resistance  to  roof  subsi- 
dence and  the  roof  would  "cut"  at  the  cog.  This  roof  caving 
would  increase  the  danger  of  accidents  from  roof  falls  and 
would  add  to  clean-up  expense. 

Article  V  of  the  Third  Vein  District  Agreement  states: 
"The  price  for  turning  a  room  where  the  company  does  the 
brushing  and  builds  the  cog  shall  be  $5,  and  where  the  miner 
does  the  brushing  and  builds  the  cog  the  price  shall  be 
$8,747,  the  company  to  have  the  option  of  method."  Besides 
the  branches  at  entry  and  room  junctions  two  other  wide 
roof  areas  must  be  supported,  that  is,  the  shaft  bottom  and  the 
lyes,  called  partings  in  room-and-pillar  mines.  In  this  dis- 
trict the  timbering  of  the  bottoms  does  not  generally  differ 
from  the  timbering  of  the  bottoms  in  room-and-pillar  mines. 
The  roof  is   supported  by  props  alone,  by  timber-sets,  by 


TIMBERING 


129 


masonry,  or  by  steel  I-beams.  In  one  mine  in  which  pillar 
coal  was  removed,  after  roof  and  floor  met  the  bottom  was 
widened  and  timbered  with  10  by  12-inch  frames  spaced  on 
4-foot  centers  and  lagged  with  3  by  12-inch  planks.  No 
trouble  from  roof  cutting  has  ever  been  experienced  in  this 
mine. 

In  a  few  mines  the  inner  lyes  are  in  abandoned  rooms 
but  generally  the  lye  is  formed  by  widening  the  entry  at  the 
desired  location.  The  usual  width  of  a  lye,  as  shown  in  fig. 
37,  is  14  feet.    Ten-inch  collars  and  legs  are  used  for  the  tim- 


Fig.  37.     A  typical  lye  in  a  longwall  mine 

ber  sets  which  are  spaced  6  feet  apart.    The  lye  in  fig.  37  is 
75  feet  long  and  provides  storage  for  13  cars  on  each  track. 

Where  a  soft  wet  fire  clay  several  feet  thick  underlies  the 
coal  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  build  short  cogs  as  a  foun- 
dation for  the  legs  of  the  frames  in  the  lyes.  A  cog  of  4-inch 
props  is  usually  constructed  3  feet  high  and  4  feet  square. 
On  the  top  of  this  cog,  a  3  by  12-inch  plank  4  feet  long  is 
placed.  The  bottom  of  the  leg  rests  in  a  notch  cut  in  this 
plank.  As  the  roof  weight  settles  on  the  frames  the  cog  is 
pushed  into  the  clay  and  the  settling  is  gradual  and  con- 
tinuous. 


130  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

The  high  temperature  of  the  return  air  current  in  long- 
wall  mines  is  very  favorable  to  fungus  growth.  The  heavy 
and  expensive  entry  timbers  on  the  return  fail  through  decay 
in  from  2  to  4  years.  In  one  mine  preservative  treatment 
is  given  to  the  timber  used  on  the  main  roads.  At  this  mine 
the  life  of  an  untreated  white-oak  collar  averages  two  years 
on  the  intake  and  less  than  one  year  on  the  return.  Treated 
timbers  have  already  been  in  service  on  the  return  for  three 
years  without  sign  of  decay.  The  timbers  to  be  treated  are 
peeled  and  sun-seasoned.  Before  taking  them  underground 
they  are  painted  with  a  heavy  coat  of  carbolineum.  The  cost 
of  labor  and  carbolineum  for  treating  two  legs  7  feet  long 
and  6  inches  in  diameter,  and  one  collar  6  feet  long  and  7 
inches  in  diameter,  is  16  cents.  The  cost  of  the  untreated 
timbers  is  45  cents. 

The  cost  of  timbering  in  longwall  mines  where  conditions 
of  roof  and  floor  are  so  widely  different  varies  with  each  mine. 
Total  cost  of  timbering  varies  from  5  to  8  cents  per  ton  of 
coal  mined.  At  that  mine  in  which  the  total  cost  of  timbering- 
was  8  cents,  the  cost  of  face  props  was  6  cents  per  ton  of  coal 
mined.  A  mine  producing  1,450  tons  a  day  employed  8  day- 
timbermen  and  used  daily  1,500  props,  70  cross  bars  7  feet 
in  length,  50  bars  8  feet  in  length,  and  2  bars  10  feet  in  length. 
Props  3y2  or  4  inches  in  diameter  are  usually  bought.  From 
y2-cent  to  1  cent  per  linear  foot  is  paid  for  props  and  the 
number  used  per  ton  of  coal  mined  varies  from  1%  to  3. 

Table  15. — Cost  of  mine  timbers  in  District  I 


Length 
Feet 

Diameter 
Inches 

Average    cost 
Cents 

6 

7 

8 

OOOOO 

15 
16 
80 

10 

14 

10 

12 

125 
190 

The  expense  of  cross  bars  increases  rapidly  with  in- 
creased diameter  and  length  of  span.  Table  15  gives  aver- 
age cost  in  the  longwall  district  of  mine  timbers  of  various 
diameters  and  lengths.  These  figures  do  not  include  the 
cost  of  placing  in  position  but  refer  only  to  the  timbers  as 
piled  on  the  surface. 


TIMBERING 


131 


ROOM-AND-PILLAR  TIMBERING 

Timbering*  in  unmodified  room-and-pillar  and  panel  mines 
in  Illinois  is  characterized  by  excessive  waste  in  spite  of  the 
steadily  decreasing  timber  supply  and  constantly  increasing- 
cost  of  mine  timber.  Generally  no  attempt  is  made  to  save 
room  props  by  pulling  them  after  rooms  have  holed  through 
and  props  are  abandoned  even  though  they  could  easily  be 


FlG.  38.     Shaft   bottom    with    roof   supported   by    steel    I-beams    set   on    concrete 
walls   (photo  by  K.  Y.  Williams,  I'    S.   Bureau  of  Mines) 


pulled  at  small  cost.  The  high  cost  of  white-oak  props  of 
standard  41/2~inch  diameter  for  lengths  up  to  5  feet  has  led 
to  the  false  economy  of  buying  props  of  poor  quality  and 
smaller  diameter.  This  is  especially  true  in  District  V  where 
many  operators  buy  shipments  in  which  less  than  one  per- 
cent of  the  props  are  white-oak,  the  remainder  consisting  of 
red   oak,   water   oak,   elm,   hickory,    sassafras,    and    hemlock 


132  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

with  an  average  prop  diameter  of  only  3%  inches  at  the 
small  tip. 

At  very  few  mines  is  preservative  treatment  given  per- 
manent timbers,  and  these  mines  are  principally  in  District 
IV.  At  one  time  in  this  district  where  loss  by  decay  has 
been  heavy  timbers  are  treated  with  one  gallon  of  creosote 
per  cubic  foot.  Untreated  round,  white-oak  timbers  with  a 
small  end  diameter  of  10  inches  cost  10  cents  per  running 
foot.  The  treated  timber  at  the  pit  mouth  costs  17  cents  per 
running  foot.  At  two  mines  in  District  IV  carbolineum  is 
used;  at  one  where  crossbars  have  broken  after  decay  the 
timbers  of  all  new  sets  are  treated  with  it ;  at  the  other,  it  is 
being  used  on  new  shaft  sets. 

In  the  newer  large  mines  in  the  State  where  there  is  a 
heavy  roof  load  with  frequent  failure  of  timber  crossbars 
steel  I-beams  are  substituted  for  timber.  Steel  is  not  used 
to  any  extent  for  roof  support  in  Districts  II  and  III  but  it 
is  used  extensively  in  District  VI,  in  several  mines  in  Dis- 
tricts IV  and  VIII,  and  in  a  few  in  Districts  V  and  VII. 
The  standard  I-beam  of  structural  steel  which  combines  a 
high  degree  of  resistance  to  bending  with  minimum  weight 
of  metal  has  proven  well  fitted  for  use  in  mines.  Steel  I-beams 
can  often  be  purchased  at  second  hand  from  the  wrecking 
companies  in  the  large  cities  for  a  cent  a  pound.  An  average 
estimate  for  new  I-beams  in  place  is  3  cents  per  pound  includ- 
ing labor  cost.  Where  much  rock  work  must  be  done  the  cost 
is  higher.  At  a  mine  in  District  IV  where  considerable  rock 
work  was  necessary  in  placing  sets  an  entry-set  composed 
of  a  10-inch  35-pound  steel  I-beam  16  feet  long  on  8-inch 
white-oak  legs  costs  approximately  $20.00  in  place.  The  cost 
of  setting  timber  and  steel  collars  is  about  the  same.  The 
standard  relation  in  Illinois  between  span  and  diameter  of 
round  white-oak  crossbars  or  size  of  steel  I-beams  is : 


Diameter    of   round 

Span  in  feet 

white-oak  timbers 
in  inches 

I-beams 

10^2  pound ;     4-inch 

8 

6 

or 
18      pound ;     8-inch 

17^4  pound;     6-inch 
10  7  or  8  or 

18      pound ;     8-inch 


TIMBERING 


133 


Span  in  feet 

12 


Diameter  of  round 
white-oak  timbers 
in  inches 


Size   and   weight   of   Steel 
I-beams 


18       pound ;     8-incl 


14 


10 


40       pound ;     8-inch 


16 


18 


12 


14 


40 

S2_ 

52 

70 


pound ;     8-inch 

or 
pound ;   12-inch 

pound ;   12-inch 

or 
pound ;  18-inch 


Witn  this  relation  frames  are  usually  spaced  on  'ly^-foot 
centers.  Eight-inch  diameter  rough  white-oak  legs  are  used 
with  spans  of  8  and  12  feet  and  10-inch  legs  are  used  for 


Fig.  39.     Inby  end  of  concrete-lined  bottom 

greater  spans.  It  is  not  certain  that  for  entry  timbering 
steel  legs  are  economical.  The  cost  in  place  of  a  4-inch  28- 
pound  steel  leg  6  feet  long  is  approximately  $5.00.  An  8-inch 
round  white-oak  leg  6  feet  long  costs  about  80  cents  at  the  pit 
mouth.  Inasmuch  as  sets  fail  in  the  crossbars  when  not  sub- 
jected to  lateral  presure  and  the  labor  cost  of  replacing  a  leg 
is  small  the  use  of  steel  legs  may  entail  an  unnecessary  ex- 
pense. 

Old  railroad  and  streetcar  rails  are  used  as  crossbars  in 
Districts  IV,  VI,  VII  and  VIII.     Old  rails  have  been  pur- 


134 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


chased  in  one  district  for  $12  per  ton.  When  bought  for 
roof  support  their  weight  varies  from  50  to  75  pounds  per 
yard.  In  District  VIII  60-pound  rails  used  as  crossbars  failed 
under  the  roof  weight.  No  rail  lighter  than  70  pounds  per 
yard  should  be  used  under  heavy  roof  presure  and  even  heavy 
rails  are  inferior  to  I-beams  because  their  carbon  content  is 
high  causing  them  to  break  more  easily  than  the  I-beam  and 
their  section  is  not  adapted  to  the  purpose. 

Shaft  bottoms  at  many  mines  in  all  districts  are  crudely 
timbered  usually  with  16  to  24-inch  framed  3-piece  sets  carry- 


Fig.  40.     Solid  concrete  pier  at  branch 


ing  2-inch  lagging  or  with  round  timber  legs  and  crossbars. 
Steel  in  nearly  all  new  mines  is  being  used  for  roof-supports 
at  shaft  bottoms. 

Concrete  in  all  large  mines  is  coming  into  general  use 
as  a  substitute  for  close  or  massive  timbering  as  at  shaft 
bottoms  or  at  pillar  points  at  partings.  Fig.  38  shows  a  shaft 
bottom  at  a  mine  in  District  VI  where  the  roof  is  supported 
by  steel  I-beams  resting  on  concrete  walls  and  fig.  39  shows 
the  inby  end  of  a  shaft  bottom  in  District  VIII  which  is  lined 
throughout  with  concrete.  The  walls  of  the  lining  are  24 
inches  thick  at  the  bottom  and  the  thickness  of  concrete  is 


TIMBERING 


135 


gradually  reduced  till  at  the  crest  of  the  arch  it  is  12  inches. 
A  gob  filling  is  packed  between  the  arch  and  the  roof.  The 
length  of  concrete  bottom  on  each  side  of  the  shaft  is  165 
feet.  The  concrete  was  made  in  the  following  proportions : 
1  Portland  cement;  1  sand;  4  washed  gravel.  Proportions 
for  concrete  which  are  frequently  used  for  massive  work  are : 
1  Portland  cement;  1  washed  sand;  4  sifted  cinders.  Fig.  40 
shows  the  point  of  the  pillar  at  a  cross  entry  in  a  mine  in 
District  VI.  The  coal  pillar  is  cut  back  20  feet  and  the  roof 
at  the  point  is  supported  by  a  solid  concrete  pier.  The  chief 
object  in  removing  the  coal  at  pillar  points  and  building  brick 


Fig.  41.     Cog  timbering  at  parting 

or  concrete  piers  is  to  provide  a  substantial  root  support 
which  will  not  be  knocked  away  if  hit  by  a  trip  which  happens 
to  leave  the  track  when  rounding  the  curve. 

In  a  few  large  mines  other  than  Longwall  timber  is  used 
instead  of  concrete  where  a  large  bearing  surface  is  desired. 
At  one  mine  where  wide  partings  are  built  the  roof  is  sup- 
ported by  cogs  8  feet  square  built  of  (i-inch  props,  as  shown 
in  fig.  41.  These  cogs  are  not  filled  with  gob  and  are  weaker 
than  filled  cogs  used  in  longwall  mining  in  Illinois. 

In  entries  in  nearly  all  mines  the  support  under  bad  roof 
is  the  3-piece  entry  set,  either  with  two  long  legs,  with  <  ne 


136 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


leg  short  and  the  other  long  or  with  two  short  legs  resting 
in  latches  cut  in  the  ribs.  Where  a  curve  occurs  in  the  entry 
the  short-legged  frames  are  commonly  used  because  a  trip 
which  jumps  the  track  is  likely  to  break  the  legs  of  long- 
legged  frames  and  bring  down  bad  falls.  Fig.  42  shows  the 
methods  of  leg  arrangement  in  the  three-piece  entry  set.  In 
District  V  hundreds  of  feet  of  entry  with  bad  roof  are  sup- 
ported by  props  alone  and  sets  are  seldom  used  at  any  of 
the  mines  examined.  The  quality  of  timber  is  poor  and  the 
three-piece  gangway  set  when  used  is  generally  constructed 
of  split  room-props  of  small  diameter. 


Fig.  42.     Timbering  in  haulage  entry 


It  is  to  be  expected  that  where  roof  conditions  are  so 
varied  as  in  the  eight  districts  of  Illinois  different  types  of 
timbering  will  be  found.  The  roof  may  require  no  timber- 
ing or  there  may  be  an  alternation  of  "rock  top"  and  clod  as 
shown  in  fig.  43.  Where  the  transition  from  limestone  roof 
to  clod  is  abrupt  it  is  productive  of  many  accidents  from  roof 
falls.  At  a  mine  in  District  VII  there  is  a  thick  shale  deposit 
overlying  the  coal  and  the  roof  on  both  sides  of  the  shaft 
caved  to  a  height  of  42  feet  from  the  floor.     This  cave  ex- 


TIMBERING 


137 


tended  110  feet  along  the  main  entry.  Fig.  44  shows  the 
method  of  timbering  the  entry  in  the  caved  area.  The  frames 
shown  were  set  on  4%-foot  centers. 

In  many  of  the  mines  examined  in  Districts  II,  IV,  VI, 
and  VII  top  coal  was  left  where  the  immediate  roof  over  the 
coal  was  thick  black  shale.  Top  coal  prevents  variations  of 
temperature  and  humidity  from  affecting  the  shale  of  the 
roof  proper,  which  spalls  badly  when  exposed  to  the  air.  As 
a  rule  where  no  top  coal  is  left  the  shale  falls  with  the  coal 
or  is  drawn.  Where  there  is  less  than  four  inches  of  shale 
between  the  coal  and  the  cap  rock  it  is  drawn.     Where  the 


#fei 


Fig.  43.     Alternation  of  ^ood  and   bad   roof 

shale  is  over  4  inches  thick  it  is  propped  in  some  mines,  but 
in  others  it  is  drawn  unless  it  is  over  2  feet  thick. 

In  District  II  where  the  two  benches  of  the  bed  are  united 
and  the  coal  is  over  6  feet  thick,  top  coal  is  left  up  in  entries 
and  the  roof  is  arched.  In  this  district  no  timber  is  used 
in  entries  under  top  coal  except  where  it  is  broken  by  slips. 
Where  the  lower  bench  only  is  mined  the  roof  is  supported 
by  three-piece  timber  sets  having  8-inch  crossbars  and  6- 
inch  legs.    White  oak  is  generally  used  for  entry  timbering. 

In  rooms  in  Illinois  the  variations  in  propping  are  as  wide 
as  are  those  in  entry  timbering.     The  roof  may  be  limestone 


138  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

or  hard  shale  requiring  no  propping  or  top  coal  may  be  left 
or  the  roof  may  be  clod  with  such  slight  cohesion  that  it  breaks 
at  the  prop  or  it  may  be  black  shale  so  difficult  of  support 
that  it  requires  cross-bars  on  props. 

A  mine  prop  is  supposed  to  have  one  inch  of  diameter 
for  each  foot  of  length  but  this  relation  seldom  obtains,  the 
diameter  usually  being  less  than  in  this  ratio.  The  cost  of 
props  increases  rapidly  with  increasing  length  and  the  pre- 
vailing prices  in  Illinois  are: 

Length  in   feet  Cost  in  cents  per  prop 

4/2  4/2 

5  5 

sy2  6/2 

6  10 
6/2  13 

7  17 

8  25 

9  30 

At  each  mine  examined  several  rooms  were  chosen 
as  typical  and  inspected  carefully.  The  width  of  a  room  was 
measured  and  the  number  of  props  in  place  counted  in  a 
measured  length.  From  these  data  the  number  of  props  per 
100  square  feet  of  roof  was  calculated.  Table  16  gives  figures 
concerning  props  in  rooms  for  each  mine  and  average  number 
and  cost  of  props  per  100  square  feet  of  roof  for  each  dis- 
trict. 

Dicipline  at  the  face  is  lax  and  in  every  mine  examined 
rooms  under  dangerous  roof  were  found  in  which  the  nearest 
prop  to  the  face  was  20  feet  distant  from  it  and  in  many 
mines  the  distance  was  over  50  feet.  No  man  under  shale 
roof  should  be  allowed  to  work  20  feet  ahead  of  his  last  prop. 
Many  miners  will  not  use  sufficient  care  in  propping  un- 
less compelled  to  do  so  and  the  greatest  need  for  safer  min- 
ing is  more  face  bosses.  In  Districts  V  and  VIII  this  need 
is  especially  apparent.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  the  oppo- 
sition to  a  provision  in  the  State  Mining  Law  for  a  fixed 
number  of  face  bosses  for  each  hundred  men  employed. 

In  rooms  in  District  V  the  number  of  props  is  inadequate 
for  safe  roof  support  and  the  miners  are  not  compelled  to 
keep  their  props  close  to  the  face.  In  District  VIII  the 
necessity  for  close  propping  is  obvious  because  the  numerous 


Table  16. — Data  on  props  in  rooms 


District 


II 


TIT 


TV 


VI 


o 

o 

O  u 

O 

OJ 

'~l*o 

C 

I* 

<U  +J 

s 

cv*. 

6 

6  c? 

£ 

^ 

12 
13 

14 
15 

~17 

18 
19 

22 
24 

25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 

43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 

50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 
57 
58 
59 
60 
62 
63 
64 
65 


6.6 
4.8 

7.5 
5.5 


26.4 
33.6 
33.8 
38.5 


Few  props 
except  at 
clay  veins 


3.7 
5.4 
3.7 


6.5 
4.0 
2.8 


No  props 

2.8 

4.0 

2.2 

2.0 

3.0 

2.5 

2.4 

16.7 
25.2 
17.2 


30.0 
20.0 
16.8 


21.0 
34.0 
29.7 
16.0 
21.0 
21.9 
21.0 


District 


Average  by 

districts 
II 
ill 
l\ 

V 

\  I 
vn 

VIII 

All  mines 
examined 


O    w 

o    o 


6.1 


3.7 


66 

6.0 

72.0 

67 

2.7 

27.0 

68 

2.7 

42.3 

69 

2.0 

16.0 

70 

6.0 

54.0 

71 

5.0 

50.0 

72 

73 

74 

75 

1.8 

25.2 

76 

// 

4.0 

64.0 

VII 

78 

4.0 

42.0 

79 

2.4 

33.6 

80 

81 

82 

7  .lx 

70.3 

83 

5.0 

40.0 

84 

5.0 

70.0 

85 

1.3 

11.7 

86 

1.9 

10.5 

87 

5.0 

'32.5 

88 

5.0 

30.0 

89 

2.8 

19.6 

90 

2.6 

18.2 

91 

3.1 

20.9 

92 

8.1 

44.6 

VII] 

93 

3.1 

24.8 

94 

7.6 

41.8 

95 

5.0 

37.5 

97 

6.3 

44.1 

33.0 


3.4 

18.5 

3.2 

22.9 

2.9 

25.0 

3.8 

38.4 

5.5 

35.6 

29.3 


Including  cross  bars. 
Few  props  except  at  clay 


140 


COAL   MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


"nigger  he  ads"  or  "sulphur-balls"  which  protrude  from  the 
roof  have  little  cohesion  to  the  roof  shale. 

The  cost  of  props  per  ton  of  coal  and  the  total  timbering 
cost  per  ton  of  coal  are  difficult  to  ascertain  on  account  of  the 


^Concrete 

Fig.  44.     Timbering  in  caved  area  in  District  VII 

different  segregations  of  cost  items  at  mines  in  the  State.  The 
number  of  props  purchased  per  ton  of  coal  varies  from  2 
to  12  depending  upon  roof  conditions.  The  figures  as  sup- 
plied by  operators  for  cost  of  props  vary  from  %-cent  to  2 


TIMBERING  141 

cents  per  ton  and  the  total  timbering  cost  from  1.5  to  6.5 
cents. 

Depth  of  cover  and  system  of  mining  in  mines  other 
than  longwall  seem  to  have  no  effect  in  the  amount  of  tim- 
bering necessary.  The  character  of  the  immediate  roof  is 
the  chief  factor  in  determining  whether  little  or  much  tim- 
bering shall  be  done. 


ACCIDENTS 

In  the  year  ended  June  30,  1912,  only  7  accidents  at  coal 
mines  in  Illinois  occurred  on  the  surface.  Dangerous  roof 
insufficiently  supported,  the  presence  of  explosive  gas,  non- 
enforcement  of  the  State  Mining  Law,  insufficient  oversight 
of  working  places,  and  failure  to  clean  the  roadways  are  all 
reflected  for  each  district  in  the  number  of  accidents  per 
1,000  employees  (Tahle  17).    In  District  V  there  is  explosive 


Table  17. — Accidents  per  1000  employees 


DISTRICT 


I 

11 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 

Fatal    

1.0 

0.0 

3.6 

1.2 

5.8 

2.6 

2.3 

4.5 

Non-fatal    

16.8 

10.7 

5.4 

2.8 

13.4 

11.5 

10.2 

14.7 

Total    

17.8 

10.7 

9.0 

4.0 

19.2 

14.1 

12.5 

19.2 

gas  with  insufficient  inspection  of  working  face  and  a  treach- 
erous roof  with  scanty  timbering.  In  District  VIII  the  chief 
factors  in  the  high  accident  record  are  the  dangerous  roof  and 
failure  to  keep  props  close  to  the  face.  In  District  I  miners 
do  not  put  enough  sprags  under  their  coal  or  enough  props 
under  the  roof  at  the  face. 

District  IV  has  the  best  accident  record  in  Illinois  be- 
cause it  has  a  good  roof  and  very  little  explosive  gas. 

In  Table  18,  District  I  with  its  very  low  production  per 
underground  employee  and  its  high  accident  ratio  produces 
the  fewest  tons  per  accident. 

The  causes  of  accidents  to  employees  as  given  in  Table 
19  compiled  from  the  Illinois  Coal  Report  show  the  source 
of  danger  in  each  district.  From  an  analysis  of  this  table  it 
is  evident  that  the  miner's  place  in  all  districts  and  espec- 
ially in  Districts  I  and  VIII  should  be  inspected  more  fre- 
quently each  day  to  insure  the  proper  placing  of  props  and 
sprags;  that  a  more  efficient  and  frequent  examination  for 
gas  should  be  made  in  Districts  V  and  VI  and  in  some  parts 
of  District  VII;  that  the  operators  should  be  compelled  to 

(142) 


ACCIDENTS 


143 


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144 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


clean  up  the  gob  lying  alongside  the  tracks  which  is  a  con- 
tributory cause  of  the  numerous  accidents  from  pit-cars  in 
all  districts,  and  especially  in  Districts  IV,  VI  and  VII. 

There  seems  to  be  no  relation  between  percentage  of 
coal  undercut  and  number  of  accidents. 

The  causes  of  accidents  in  Illinois  are  much  the  same 
as  in  other  coal  mining  states.  Attention  has  been  called 
repeatedly  to  them  in  the  reports  of  the  State  Mine  In- 
spectors and  they  are  covered  by  provisions  of  the  Illinois 
Mining  Law  and  the  agreement  between  the  operators  and 
miners  but  throughout  the  State  the  enforcement  of  the  State 
Mining  Law  is  lax  and  its  provisions  are  frequently  disre- 
garded.    Hay  is  taken  to  the  underground  stables  in  open 


Fig.  45.     Photograph  of  underground  refuge  chamber 


cars,  open  lights  are  taken  into  the  stables,  powder  is  handled 
carelessly  in  transportation  and  is  stored  underground  in 
greater  quantity  than  is  allowed  by  law,  powder  kegs  are 
opened  with  picks,  cartridges  are  filled  while  the  miner's  open 
lamp  is  on  his  cap,  dummies  are  filled  with  "bug-dust,"  and 
gob  is  kept  so  close  to  the  track  that  in  some  places  the  hubs 
of  the  pit-car  wheels  touch  it  in  transit.  The  injuries  and 
fatalities  in  Illinois  will  not  lessen  until  stricter  enforcement 
of  the  common-sense  provisions  of  the  State  Mining  Law  is 
compelled  by  mine  inspectors,  operators,  and  miners. 

The  Peabody  Coal  Company  in  its  Peabody  mine  at 
Sherman  in  District  IV  has  prepared  an  underground  refuge 
chamber  in  its  mine  so  that  if  the  miners  are  imprisoned 


ACCIDENTS 


145 


through  any  cause  they  may  have  a  safe  place  of  retreat 
where  communication  with  the  surface  can  be  maintained. 
This  refuge  chamber,  shown  in  fig.  45,  a  photograph  of  the 
interior,  and  in  lig.  46,  a  sketch  showing  the  method  of  con- 


Plan 


Longitudinal  Section  through  Center 
Fig.  46.     Sketch  of  underground  refuge  chamber 

struction,  is  lined  with  concrete  and  closed  by  an  air  lock 
protected  with  steel  explosion-proof  doors.  A  hole  8  inches 
in  diameter  is  drilled  from  the  surface  into  the  chamber 
which  is  7  feet  high,  28  feet  long,  and  16  feet  wide.     The 


146  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

shale  roof  of  the  chamber  is  supported  by  six  concrete  pil- 
lars two  feet  square.  An  empty  powder  can  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  the  drill  hole  shows  its  position  in  fig.  45.  Through 
the  drill  hole  fresh  air  can  be  pumped  to  the  chamber  and  sup- 
plies can  be  lowered.  Refuge  chambers  in  coal  mines  are  an 
admirable  precaution  and  at  least  two  should  be  built  in 
every  mine,  particularly  in  mines  in  southern  Illinois  in 
which  explosive  gas  and  dust  are  found. 

The  state  of  Illinois  has  provided  three  Mine  Rescue 
Stations  at  which  crews  are  maintained  for  rendering  as- 
sistance in  case  of  explosions  or  mine  fires.  A  number  of 
mining  companies  also  maintain  rescue  and  first  aid  crews 
and  equipment. 


PER  CAPITA  PRODUCTION  OF  EMPLOYEES 

The  factors  which  enter  into  the  total  amonnt  of  labor 
necessary  to  prodnce  the  tonnage  of  each  district  are :  Nation- 
ality of  employees,  thickness  of  seam,  system  of  mining,  per- 
centage of  tonnage  undercut,  character  of  roof,  daily  tonnage 
of  mines,  and  the  extent  of  preparation  of  coal  for  market. 

In  analyzing  Table  20  which  contains  data  on  daily  per 
capita  production  of  employees  it  is  noticeable  that  District  1, 
the  longwall  district,  produces  only  2.1  tons  per  day  per  em- 
ployee and  only  2.8  tons  per  day  per  face  worker.  This  low 
production  is  due  partly  to  the  method  of  mining  but  prin- 
cipally to  the  thin  seam  which  in  this  district  averages  3  feet, 
2  inches  in  thickness.  Longwall  mines  in  District  IV  in  a 
seam  4  feet,  8  inches  thick  average  3.5  tons  a  day  per  em- 
ployee and  4.2  tons  a  day  per  face  worker.  It  takes  the 
same  amount  of  labor  at  the  face  in  longwall  mining  to  gain 
a  slice  of  coal  3  feet,  2  inches  thick  as  to  gain  one  4  feet,  8 
inches  thick. 

In  Districts  II  and  III  the  mines  are  all  small  and  the 
average  number  of  tons  a  day  per  face  worker  is  high  be- 
cause in  District  II  almost  all  the  coal  is  undercut  and  in 
both  districts  the  labor  is  chiefly  American,  English,  and 
Scotch  and  the  coal  is  easily  mined.  In  Districts  IV,  Y,  VI, 
VII,  and  VIII,  in  which  the  mines  are  of  larger  capacity, 
the  percentage  of  undercut  coal  is  the  chief  factor  in  high  per 
capita  production  although  the  number  of  men  employed  in 
rescreening  plants  and  washeries,  thickness  of  seam,  and  the 
nationality  of  emplovees  are  minor  factors  in  Districts  VI, 
VII,  and  VIII. 

The  coal  mining  industry  is  now  in  a  critical  condition 
in  Illinois.  The  principal  cause  of  the  present  depression  is 
that  it  has  been  too  easy  to  open  a  mine.  The  Mining  Inves- 
tigation Commission  of  the  State  of  Illinois  in  its  report  to 
Governor  Charles  S.  Deneen,  March,  11)11,  said: 

"The  number  of  shipping  mines  in  Illinois  is  greatly  in 
excess  of  the  number  required  to  supply  the  maximum  demand 
for  Illinois  coal.    This  has  resulted  in  the  actual  annual  aver- 

(147) 


148 


COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


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PER    CAPITA    PRODUCTION    OF    EMPLOYEES  149 

age  running  time  of  all  mines  operating  in  Illinois  for  sev- 
eral years  past  being  materially  less  than  two  hundred  days 
per  year.  With  a  more  reasonable  adjustment  of  mining 
capacity  to  the  greatest  possible  maximum  demand  (which 
is  entirely  feasible  in  so  far  as  the  commercial  or  physical 
considerations  are  concerned)  it  should  be  possible  for  the 
mines  to  be  operated  an  average  of  at  least  two  hundred  and 
fifty  days  per  year.  The  result  of  this  condition  is  that  all 
of  the  mine  employees  in  Illinois  (now  about  seventy  thous- 
and) are  idle  on  an  average  at  least  sixty  days  per  year 
more  than  need  be  if  there  were  a  reasonable  adjustment  of 
mining  capacity  to  the  fullest  trade  requirements. 

Stated  in  another  way,  the  entire  force  of  mine  em- 
ployees is  idle  one-fourth  of  the  time  they  should  be  able  to 
work  after  making  all  allowance  for  unavoidable  idle  time. 
This  has  the  same  effect  as  though  one-fourth  of  them  were 
idle  all  the  time.  In  other  words,  fifteen  thousand  men,  in 
effect,  are  idle  throughout  the  entire  year,  but  held  in  the 
industry  by  the  attraction  of  the  excessive  number  of  mines 
nominally  in  operation.  This  is  an  enormous  economic  waste.' ' 

On  account  of  the  lack  of  a  uniform  system  of  accounting- 
it  is  difficult  to  make  comparisons  between  the  cost  of  similar 
operations  in  different  districts  and  to  adjust  selling  quota- 
tions for  the  different  fields  according  to  actual  costs.  The 
books  of  many  operators  do  not  segregate  the  cost  items  for 
different  phases  of  mining  operations  so  that  the  profit  leaks 
can  be  discovered. 


VENTILATION 

The  causes  of  mine-air  pollution  are:  respiration  of  men 
and  animals;  gases  from  the  use  of  explosives;  fumes  from 
miners'  lamps;  absorption  of  oxygen  by  coal  and  pyrites; 
exudation  of  gas  from  the  seam ;  emanations  from  excrement ; 
decay  of  timber ;  coal  dust  from  mining  operations,  etc.  These 
factors  often  combine  to  impoverish  mine  air  and  render  it 
injurious  to  the  health  of  the  miners.  The  problem  of  pre- 
venting excessive  pollution  of  the  air  is,  therefore,  very  im- 
portant. 

The  fundamental  difference  between  the  longwall  sys- 
tem and  the  unmodified  room-and-pillar  and  panel  systems 
necessitates  separate  discussions  of  ventilation  in  longwall 
mines  and  in  mines  other  than  longwall. 

VENTILATION  OF  LONGWALL  MINES 

The  ventilation  of  mines  operated  on  the  longwall  sys- 
tem presents  few  difficulties,  and  the  problem  of  supplying 
air  to  the  men  at  the  working  face  is  easy  of  solution.     In 

Table  21. — Comparative  temperatures  in  longwall  and  room- 
and-pillar  mines 


■r.  en 
X.  be 

u  o  a 

u  o  rt 

Location 

Mining 

tempe 
at   bott 
take 
degrees 

tempe 
at   bott 
take 
legrees 

rt  rt.H 

system 

«   .s  . 

ata 

bo4),"+r 

S     5 

JaT3 

2SJS 

8&JS 

3  ° 

p,  cfl  O  in 

>  «  O  in 

«•*<  ** 

fc 

< 

<£ 

Q 

Oglesbv 

Longwall 

39 

52.2 

74.0 

21.8 

La  Salle 

do 

47 

58.3 

76.9 

18.6 

Benton 

Room-and-pillar 

40 

53.9 

64.9 

11.0 

Glen   Carbon 

do 

44 

56.9 

68.0 

11.1 

Average  for  longwall 

Longwall 

43 

55.3 

75.5 

20.2 

Average  for  room- 

and-pillar 

Room-and-pillar 

42 

55.4 

66.5 

11.1 

room-and-pillar  mining,  the  faces  of  the  rooms,  that  is,  the 
working  places  of  the  miners,  are  outside  the  direct  flow  of 
the  air  current  except  when  the  face  of  a  room  is  at  the  point 
where   a   cross-cut   is   driven   through    the   room-pillar.     In 

(150) 


VENTILATION  151 

longwall  mines  the  air  current  always  flows  along  the  work- 
ing face,  as  shown  by  fig.  20.  More  physical  discomfort  is 
suffered  by  the  longwall  miners,  however,  because  the  tem- 
perature at  the  face  of  the  longwall  mines  is  greater  than  at 
the  face  of  room-and-pillar  mines.  This  is  shown  in  Table 
21  which  gives  return  air  temperature  for  mines  under  both 
systems. 

This  table  shows  that  during  passage  through  the  work- 
ings of  a  longwall  mine  of  average  size  the  ventilating  cur- 
rent undergoes  an  average  rise  in  temperature  of  20.2  degrees 
above  that  at  the  bottom  of  the  downcast  shaft.  In  a  room- 
and-pillar  mine  of  ordinary  extent  of  workings  the  air  cur- 
rent has  its  average  temperature  raised  11.1  degrees  F. 
while  passing  through  the  mine.  This  average  difference 
throughout  the  year  of  9.1  degrees  between  the  temperatures 
of  longwall  and  room-and-pillar  mines  is  largely  because  in 
the  former  a  much  smaller  quantity  of  air  with  lower  velocity 
passes  over  more  men  and  lamps.  Sometimes  the  gob  fires 
in  longwall  mines  increase  the  temperature.  When  mining 
is  done  in  the  clay  under  the  coal  tew  gob  fires  occur  because 
then  not  much  coal  finds  its  way  into  the  gob.  (Job  fires  are 
more  frequent  where  undermining  is  done  in  the  coal  be- 
cause every  condition  necessary  for  spontaneous  combustion 
is  then  found  in  the  gob  about  15  feet  from  the  face.  The 
necessary  factors  are : 

Fine  particles  of  coal. 

Finely  divided  iron  pyrites. 

Moisture. 

Air  confined  in  the  interstices  of  the  gob. 

Initial  heat  produced  perhaps  by  roof  pressure  on  the 
gob. 

Where  the  gob  is  not  heated  to  the  point  of  combustion 
its  temperature  may  be  raised  considerably  by  the  oxidation 
of  coal  and  pyrites.  Because  the  presence  of  air  is  necessary 
for  this  process  gob  fires  do  not  occur  much  farther  behind 
the  face  than  twenty  feet  as  beyond  this  point  the  settling 
of  the  roof  has  packed  the  gob  so  tightly  that  air  is  excluded. 
That  sufficient  heat  is  developed  by  a  few  gob  fires  to  bring- 
about    the   increased    temperatures    at    the    longwall    Pace    is 


152  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

shown  by  a  temperature  reading  of  84  degrees  F.  taken  at  the 
face  10  feet  from  a  gob  fire  after  the  air  current  has  passed 
the  sealed-off  fire,  and  by  a  reading  of  73  degrees  F.  taken  at 
the  face  100  feet  distant  from  the  fire  before  the  current  has 
passed  over  it. 

The  cost  of  removing  sulphur  from  the  mine  varies  from 
%  to  1%  cents  per  ton  of  coal  mined.  Fires  in  the  gob  of 
longwall  mines  are  easily  sealed  off.  The  usual  method  is 
to  build  around  three  sides  of  a  fire  a  solid  wall  of  roof  rock 
leaving  the  gob  which  has  been  packed  by  roof  settling  as  the 
fourth  side.    A  lining  of  fine  sand  is  placed  inside  of  the  wall. 

The  sand  is  usually  brought  into  the  mine  for  this  pur- 
pose and  stored  underground  to  be  ready  for  immediate  use 
when  needed.  Including  cost  of  sand  the  expense  of  sealing 
off  a  small  gob  fire  approximates  $25.  In  some  mines  road 
dust  instead  of  sand  is  used  for  sealing  off  fires  and  serves 
the  purpose  as  well  because  road  dust  consists  principally 
of  inert  shale  pulverized  by  car  wheels  on  the  track  and  by 
the  feet  of  men  and  animals  on  the  roadways.  If  a  fire  occurs 
from  5  to  20  feet  from  the  face  between  two  rooms,  it  is 
reached  in  some  mines  by  digging  through  the  burning  gob 
which  is  then  loaded  out  if  possible  before  sealing  off  is 
begun.  This  method  of  walling  off  is  regarded  as  very  effic- 
ient because  the  sand  or  road  dust  packs  remain  effective  for 
at  least  two  months  and  before  the  end  of  this  period  the 
fires  are  extinguished. 

Very  little  marsh  gas  is  found  in  longwall  mines,  although 
occasionally  pockets  are  discovered  in  small  sand  deposits  im- 
mediately above  the  shale  roof.  Wherever  it  thus  occurs  it  is 
quickly  diffused  in  the  air  and  becomes  so  dilute  that  no  cap 
is  shown  by  a  testing  lamp. 

Roof  falls  caused  by  the  expansion  and  contraction  of 
roof  material  on  account  of  temperature  changes  are  numer- 
ous, because  cracks  extend  several  feet  into  the  immediate 
roof.  Two  of  the  mines  examined  heat  the  intake  air  in 
winter  to  keep  the  temperature  more  constant  and  also  to 
prevent  the  formation  of  ice  in  the  intake  shaft.  The  amount 
of  roof  fall  is  in  this  way  lessened.  In  one  of  these  mines 
the  exhaust  steam  from  the  fan  engine  is  put  into  the  down- 


VENTILATION 


153 


cast  air  shaft  through  a  4-inch  pipe  and  as  a  precautionary 
measure  against  a  temperature  so  low  that  exhaust  steam 
could  not  keep  the  shaft  free  from  ice,  a  l>4-inch  pipe  for 
live  steam  also  runs  into  the  shaft.  It  is  seldom  necessary, 
however,  to  use  this  live  steam.  In  the  other  mine  the  live 
steam  is  sent  down  the  intake  shaft  through  a  3-inch  pipe, 
which  leads  to  a  cylindrical  radiator  7  feet  in  diameter  placed 
at  the  bottom. 

The  necessity  for  artificial  humidification  to  prevent  coal- 
dust  explosions  has  not  been  apparent  in  longwall  mines.  In- 
asmuch as  all  the  coal  is  removed  from  the  seam  as  the  face 
advances  and  as  the  excavation  is  filled  with  waste  rock  the 
only  sources  of  supply  for  coal  dust  are  the  daily  working  face 
of  fresh  coal  and  the  spillings  from  the  pit  cars.  In  room-and 
pillar  mines  the  ribs  of  the  entire  workings  and  sometimes 
also  the  roof  and  floor  are  of  coal  and  the  spalling  of  this 
coal  furnishes  a  cumulative  supply  of  dust  that  becomes  con- 
stantly drier  and  more  explosive.  The  coal  dust  from  mining 
at  the  face  in  longwall  mines  is  covered  with  shale  and  clay 
within  a  few  days  after  it  is  made  so  that  there  is  no  accumu- 
lation of  it.  The  dust  brushed  from  the  ribs  of  longwall 
mines  is  not  inflammable.  The  analyses  of  samples  thus  taken 
show  that  the  dust  consists  principally  of  shale  or  other 
inert  matter.  Table  22  gives  the  average  of  analyses  and  of 
pressures  developed  in  the  explosibility  apparatus  for  14  sam- 
ples of  longwall  rib  dust  collected  in  the  haulage  ways. 

Table  22. — Comparison  of  longwall  and  room-and- pillar  rib 
dust  on  haulage  ways. 


Mining  system 

Number 
samples 

Proximate    analysis    of    coal — First: 
"As  received"  with  total  moisture. 
Second:    "Dry"    or    moisture    free. 

Pressure  in  pounds 
per     square     inch 
developed    in    ex- 
plosibility flask  at 

2102°     F. 

Moisture 

Volatile 
matter 

Fixed 
carbon          Ash 

Average  longwall 

Typical  room-and-pillar 
mine  in  southern  Illinois 

14 
3 

1        3.45    I    14.68 
I        Dry        15.19 

f        5.54       34.89 
I        Drv    !    39.94 

6.77 

7.01 

39.21 

41.51 

75.12 
77.80 

20.37 
21.56 

0.175 
4.760 

The  high  average  temperature  of  the  air  in  longwall 
mines  decreases  the  relative  humidity  and  considerable  mois 


154  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

ture  is  absorbed  from  the  dust  of  ribs  and  roads  so  that,  un- 
less additional  moisture  is  supplied  by  seepage  water  or  by 
sprinkling,  the  dust  of  the  roadways  becomes  very  dry.  In 
a  few  longwall  mines  the  haulage  roads  are  sprinkled  at  inter- 
vals varying  from  one  week  to  three  months. 

A  co-operative  bulletin  on  the  character  of  the  dust  in 
Illinois  mines  will  soon  be  published. 

VENTILATION  OF  MINES  OTHER  THAN  LONGWALL 

Explosive  gas  is  found  in  every  district  in  Illinois  but  in 
Districts  II,  III,  IV,  and  VIII  gas  is  found  in  active 
workings  usually  only  in  roof  caves  and  at  slips  and  in  small 
quantities  in  abandoned  areas.  In  these  districts  an  occasional 
accident  occurs  by  ignition  of  small  bodies  of  gas  in  these 
areas.  In  Districts  V  and  VI  and  in  the  northeast  part  of 
District  VII,  however,  the  subject  of  ventilation  is  a  vital 
one  inasmuch  as  there  have  been  serious  explosions  of  gas 
and  dust  in  many  mines  resulting  in  much  loss  of  life  and 
destruction  of  property.  The  disastrous  explosion  at  the 
Zeigler  mine  in  1905  and  the  fire  in  1908  and  the  explosion  at 
the  North  mine,  Eoyalton,  in  1914,  will  be  recalled  by  those 
familiar  with  Illinois  mining  history.  Frequent  explosions 
of  less  magnitude  in  other  mines,  many  of  them  resulting  in 
loss  of  life  and  all  of  them  entailing  great  expense  in  recover- 
ing the  mine  or  a  portion  of  it,  have  caused  these  districts  to 
be  regarded  properly  as  dangerous.  The  mines  less  than  100 
feet  deep  seem  to  be  comparatively  free  from  explosive  gas. 
As  the  rock  strata  of  the  shallow  cover  are  broken  and  in 
places  eroded,  the  spaces  left  by  rock  removal  being  filled 
with  sand  and  clay,  much  of  the  gas  in  the  bed  has  escaped. 
Where  the  bed  lies  at  depths  greater  than  100  feet  it  is  usually 
undrained  and  contains  the  greater  part  of  the  gas  originally 
formed  in  it.  Mallard  states  that  gas  impregnates  a  coal 
bed  just  as  water  impregnates  a  porous  substance  and  that 
its  escape  results  directly  from  a  difference  of  pressure  be- 
tween the  interior  and  the  exterior  of  the  mass.  The  highest 
pressure  of  gas  in  the  solid  coal  which  was  recorded  by  Dar- 
ton  in  this  district  was  33  pounds  per  square  inch  although 
the  pressure  is  probably  higher  in  certain  areas.     However, 


VENTILATION 


155 


a  difference  in  pressure  of  a  few  pounds  only  is  sufficient  to 
set  up  a  steady  flow  of  gas  from  the  coal  into  the  workings. 
The  actual  volume  of  gas  found  in  the  return  air  current  at 
any  time  will  depend  chiefly  upon  the  number  of  active  work- 
ing places  in  the  mine  unless  the  bed  contains  large  storage 
basins  of  gas,  that  is,  it  will  depend  upon  the  area  of  fresh 
coal  face  exposed  daily.  This  statement  is  borne  out  by  Dar- 
ton's  findings.  In  one  mine  418  feet  deep  with  a  daily  produc- 
tion of  2,300  tons  he  records  181  cubic  feet  of  methame  per 
minute  in  the  return  air  current  when  the  mine  was  operating 


Fig.  47.     Explosion-door  in  concrete-block,. stopping   in    District  V 

and  78  cubic  feet  per  minute  after  a  suspension  of  5  to  15 
days.  "  In  the  flat-lying  undisturbed  Illinois  beds,  depth  over 
200  feet  does  not  seem  to  be  a  factor  in  the  amount  of  gas 
in  the  bed.1" 

The  presence  of  large  volumes  of  gas  can  not  be  predicted 
for  any  area  unless  it  is  known  by  previous  workings  that  the 
area  is  one  in  which  the  coal  is  broken  by  structural  movement 
so  that  it  acts  as  a  reservoir  for  a  considerable  surrounding 
area  of  the  bed.  In  the  deeper  mines  of  this  district,  however, 
there  is  a  continuous  emanation  of  gas  from  the  fresh  coal  and 


1J)arton,    N.    II.,    Occurrence    of    Explosive    Gases    in     Coal     Mines,     !'.     S.     Bureau    of 
Mines,  Bulletin  72. 


156 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


such  reservoirs  may  be  broken  into  at  any  point.  Although 
different  exposures  of  fresh  coal  do  not  give  off  uniform 
quantities  of  gas,  some  exuding  none  and  some  large  quan- 
tities, the  aggregate  emanation  is  considerable.  The  return 
air  in  the  upcast  shaft  at  one  mine  contained  0.28  per  cent 
methane.  The  irregularity  of  emanation  in  different  sections 
is  well  illustrated  at  one  mine  where  the  upcast  air  contained 
0.20  per  cent  methane  and  a  cross-entry,  on  which  there  were 
23  working  places,  near  its  intersection  with  the  main  entry 
contained  1.08  per  cent.  In  another  mine  with  0.26  per  cent 
methane  in  the  main  return,  samples  taken  in  two  rooms  at 
the  face  showed  5.53  per  cent  in  one  and  10.35  per  cent  in  the 
other. 


/WMMBj 

'            r 

, 

J 

'     1  ' 

-         *■'■     '■                      -if. 

i 

<4 

.   ■•.      0 

S  &  1 

'■V*  --»  '-         .  ^                 .i.r H                 p 

.  ;        \ 

Wfjr^^ji                                   *N*t 

\ 

f  f   '    t 

,- 

- 

^gST'^aaw, 

tl'*ih 

\ 

'  i»fi??JL        '.    1 

y  ~! 

^:.m 

•-'                 / 

-'  m- 

" 

L.WJ 

Wmt 

1 

Fig.  48.     Typical  gob  stopping 


In  almost  every  mine  examined  in  Districts  V  and  VI  gas 
is  found  in  development  entries  and  in  the  face  of  all  work- 
ings driven  to  the  rise.  Inasmuch  as  naked  lights  are  allowed 
throughout  these  districts  the  safety  of  the  miners  depends 
upon  the  thoroughness  of  the  examination  of  the  mine  exam- 
iner. A  single  dereliction  of  duty  may  result  in  great  loss  of 
life  and  the  wrecking  of  the  mine.  In  many  mines  the  use  of 
naked  lights  should  be  abandoned  unless  the  quantity  of  air 


VENTILATION  157 

supplied  to  the  face  is  very  materially  increased.  In  a  few 
mines  the  nse  of  safety  lamps  in  certain  sections  is  insisted 
upon,  but  mixed  lights  are  dangerous  and  in  other  states  have 
frequently  caused  serious  explosions. 

Wherever  workings  in  a  gassy  mine  have  been  aban- 
doned they  are  usually  sealed  off  by  stoppings  of  various  ma- 
terials. A  large  amount  of  methane  soon  collects  in  these 
abandoned  areas.  In  one  mine  in  which  a  squeezed  area  has 
been  sealed  off  by  a  concrete  stopping,  air  samples  drawn 
through  a  3-inch  relief  pipe  in  the  stopping  showed  38.17  per 
cent  methane.  It  is  reported  that  since  the  data  on  which 
this  bulletin  is  based  were  collected  all  sealed-off  areas  in 
Franklin  County  have  been  opened  up  and  ventilated. 

Details  of  a  study  of  gas  in  mines  in  southern  Illinois 
will  be  found  in  Co-operative  Bulletin  72,  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines,  Occurrence  of  Explosive  Gases  in  Coal  Mines,  N.  H. 
Darton. 

Face  samples  of  the  coal  when  ground  to  200-mesh,  dried 
and  tested  in  the  laboratory  in  Urbana,  show  that  the  unadul- 
terated coal  dust  of  every  district  is  explosible.  The  average 
pressures  developed  in  the  explosibility  apparatus  are  given 
for  each  district  in  Table  23. 

Table  23. — Pressure  developed  by  dust  of  face  samples  in 
explosibility  apparatus 


District 

No. 

samples 

Pressure  in  pounds  per  square  inch  at  2192' 

I 

11 

8.400 

II 

5 

5.880 

III 

5 

7.805 

IV 

17 

7.700 

V 

7 

7.105 

VI 

16 

5.950 

VII 

24 

7.175 

VIII 

6 

8.925 

In  Districts  II,  III,  IV,  VII,  and  VIII  the  dust  found  on 
the  ribs  of  entries  is  not  very  explosible  because  it  has  such 
a  high  moisture  and  shale  content.  Shale  dropping  from  the 
roof  is  ground  up  by  car  wheels  and  by  the  feet  of  men  and 
mules  and  the  inert  dust  thus  produced  is  mixed  with  the  coal 
dust  on  the  ribs  and  acts  as  a  diluent.     However,  although  the 


158 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


coal  dust  may  not  be  sufficiently  explosible  to  initiate  an  ex- 
plosion when  an  explosion  is  once  initiated  in  mines  in  these 
districts  by  ignition  of  gas  or  by  a  blown-out  shot  the  dust 
will  propagate  the  explosion  as  violently  as  any  other. 

The  rib  dust  of  Districts  V  and  VI,  which  are  gassy  dis- 
tricts, is  dry  and  in  District  VI  is  not  likely  to  be  adulterated 
with  shale  because  the  constant  dropping  of  top  coal  adds  to 
the  supply  of  pure  dust.  Every  precaution  should  be  ob- 
served in  these  districts  for  the  prevention  of  dust  explosions 
and  for  checking  them  if  they  are  initiated.  At  a  few  mines 
in  these  districts,  notably  at  those  in  which  there  have  been 


rv  v  v*. 


Fig.  49.     Efficient  brick  stopping 


explosions,  attempts  are  made  to  lessen  the  danger.  In  Dis- 
trict V  in  one  mine  where  road  dust  is  thick  calcium  chloride 
is  put  on  the  floor  of  entries.  Calcium  chloride  being  a  hygro- 
scopic salt  absorbs  moisture.  Coal  dust  when  covered  with 
it  becomes  moistened  and  remains  damp  as  long  as  the  cal- 
cium chloride  continues  to  absorb  moisture.  The  finest  coal 
dust  is  thus  prevented  from  being  thrown  into  suspension  in 
the  air  current.  At  this  mine  it  was  found  that  by  using  1% 
pounds  of  granulated  calcium  chloride  per  square  yard  of 
floor,  fine  coal  dust  lying  one  inch  thick  was  kept  moist  for 
six  months.     The  use  of  this  salt  has  been  so  satisfactory  at 


VENTILATION  159 

this  mine  that  a  much  greater  floor  area  will  be  covered  in  the 
future.  In  the  small  quantity  bought  for  experimentation 
calcium  chloride  cost  $13.  per  ton.  This  cost  will  be  consider- 
ably less  if  the  salt  is  bought  in  large  quantity.  Provision  is 
made  at  another  mine  in  this  district  for  the  expansion  of  an 
explosion  wave,  the  idea  being  to  prevent  the  propagation 
through  the  main  entries  of  a  loca]  explosion  in  a  room  or 
entry.  An  explosion  door  (fig.  47)  is  built  into  every  eighth 
stopping  along  the  main  entries.  This  door  is  built  of  two 
thicknesses  of  one  inch  shiplap  boards,  and  swings  vertically 
on  a  one-inch  iron  rod.  Uprights  and  casings  are  built  into 
the  stopping.  The  width  of  the  door,  4  feet  3  inches,  is  the 
same  whatever  the  width  of  the  crosscut,  but  the  height  varies 
Avith  the  stopping. 

In  District  VI  at  one  mine  water  is  piped  to  the  face  of 
every  room  and  the  ribs,  roof,  and  props  of  every  room  are 
hosed  before  shooting.  In  a  few  other  mines  the  ribs  of 
entries  are  hosed  every  two  weeks.  In  another  mine  the  haul- 
age roads  are  ballasted  with  ashes.  It  takes  70  cubic  feet  of 
ashes  to  cover  40  linear  feet  of  road.  When  the  road  bed 
becomes  covered  with  coal  dust  more  ashes  are  sprinkled  on 
it.  The  roads  are  sprinkled  with  water  nightly.  In  this 
mine  an  explosion  which  killed  8  men  died  out  for  lack  of 
explosive  dust  after  traversing  a  short  stretch  of  entry  in 
which  ash  ballast  had  been  used. 

A  bulletin  dealing  with  the  explosibility  of  coal  dust  in 
Illinois  mines  is  in  press  and  will  soon  be  ready  for  distribu- 
tion. 

The  subject  of  humidity  of  air  in  Illinois  mines  has  been 
covered  in  Co-operative  Bulletin  83,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines, 
The  Humidity  of  Mine  Air,  by  R.  Y.  Williams.  The  humid- 
ity of  return  air  in  Illinois  mines  throughout  the  year  aver- 
ages 96  per  emit  and  the  temperature  averages  (54  degrees 
F.  The  average  humidity  of  the  outside  air  in  Illinois  is 
72  per  cent  and  the  average  temperature  52  degrees  F. 
The  moisture  gained  by  the  air  current  is  extracted  from 
the  ribs  and  where  there  is  no  seepage  of  water  the  moisture 
is  obtained  from  the  dust  on  the  ribs.  I  Inmidification  of 
mine  air   is  attempted  at  a   few  mines.     At  two  mines  in 


160 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


District  IV  the  intake  air  is  heated;  at  one  by  passing  it 
over  a  coil  of  one-inch  pipe  695  feet  long  throngh  which 
live  steam  is  passed  at  a  pressure  of  80  pounds  per  square 
inch;  at  the  other  by  jets  of  steam  exhausted  into  the  air 
shaft  from  the  fan  engine.  At  these  mines  it  is  stated  that 
in  the  coldest  weather  the  intake  air  at  the  bottom  of  the 
air-shaft  has  a  temperature  above  freezing.  Clean-up  ex- 
pense in  this  district  can  be  lessened  materially  by  heating  the 
intake  air  and  every  mine  in  the  district  could  profitably 
install  a  steam  coil  or  drum.  The  initial  expense  would  be 
small  and  the  expense  of  operation  slight  compared  with  the 


Fig.  50.     Latch  in  rib  dug  to  receive  stopping 

saving  in  clean-up  cost.  The  shale  roof  spalls  off  badly  in 
spring  and  summer  in  many  mines  and  in  some  continues  to 
fall  till  the  limestone  or  sandstone  cap  rock  is  exposed.  In 
several  mines  in  this  district  in  new  entries  driven  during 
winter  the  roof  begins  to  fall  with  the  advent  of  summer  and 
caves  to  the  cap  rock.  The  cause  of  the  falling  is  chiefly  the 
expansion  of  the  black  shale  with  the  rise  in  temperature  of 
the  intake  air  current.  Maintaining  the  air  current  at  a  more 
nearly  constant  temperature  by  means  of  preheating  with 
steam  coils  would  decrease  the  roof  falls  by  decreasing  the 
seasonal  range  of  temperature. 


VENTILATION  161 

In  District  VI  in  three  mines  exhanst  steam  from  the  fan 
engine  is  turned  into  the  intake  air-shaft  in  winter  to  prevent 
the  formation  of  ice  in  the  shaft.  At  one  of  these  mines  the 
exhanst  steam  is  carried  over  a  radiator  heated  by  live  steam. 
The  radiator  is  made  of  1,000  feet  of  1%-inch  pipe.  One  of 
the  mines  nsing  exhanst  steam  reports  that  it  causes  roof  to 
fall  badly. 

In  District  VIII  exhaust  steam  was  turned  into  the  air- 
shaft  at  one  mine  to  prevent  the  formation  of  ice. 

At  the  mines  examined  in  other  districts  the  only  water 
introduced  into  the  mine  is  in  sprinkling  the  haulageways  for 
the  purpose  of  laying  the  dust.  This  procedure  aids  very 
little  in  humidification  of  the  air  but  adds  to  the  efficiency  of 
the  mules  by  temporarily  lessening  the  amount  of  dust  thrown 
up  by  the  passage  of  cars  and  by  the  feet  of  men  and  animals. 

At  most  mines  in  Illinois  the  fans  are  always  run  as 
blowers  but  in  a  few  they  exhaust  in  summer  and  blow  in 
winter,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Pana  they  always  exhaust.  The 
quantity  of  air  delivered  by  the  fans  usually  is  small  in  some 
mines  the  amount  being  less  than  25,000  cubic  feet  per  minute. 
The  average  mine  with  about  1,500  tons  daily  output  usually 
has  a  ventilating  current  of  approximately  50,000  cubic  feet 
per  minute.  There  are  only  a  few  mines  in  Illinois  at  which 
the  ventilating  current  supplies  200,000  cubic  feet  per  minute 
and  these  mines  are  nearly  all  in  the  gassy  District  VI.  The 
fan  at  one  of  the  mines  examined  in  District  V  has  a  capacity 
of  200,000  cubic  feet. 

Although  at  most  mines  enough  air  is  delivered  by  the 
fan  to  provide  the  legal  amount  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  men  and  mules  underground  stoppings  are  often  so  inef- 
ficient that  only  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  air  reaches 
the  last  cross-cut  on  the  entries  or  arrives  at  the  working  face. 
At  many  mines  a  large  percentage  of  the  air  blown  by  the 
fans  into  the  air-shaft  short-circuits  through  the  leaky  stop- 
pings into  the  return  air.  In  one  mine  with  lumber  stop- 
pings, a  careful  study  by  J.  T.  Ryan,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines, 
showed  only  12%  per  cent  ventilating  efficiency.  Frequently 
only  20  per  cent  of  the  air  supplied  by  the  fan  reaches  the 
last  cross-cut.     A  co-operative  bulletin  by  R.  Y.  Williams, 


162 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


"The  Efficiency  of  Mine  Stoppings "  will  soon  be  issued  by 
the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.  At  nearly  all  of  the  smaller 
mines  in  Illinois  stoppings  are  built  of  gob,  sometimes  loosely 
packed,  more  often  tamped.  Fig.  48  shows  a  typical  gob 
stopping.  In  a  few  mines  gob  stoppings  are  plastered  with 
mud  and  in  some  with  mud  and  wood-fibre.  Besides  gob  the 
materials  of  which  stoppings  are  made  are :  powder  cans  and 
mud  mortar,  old  ties  and  fine  gob,  lumber  and  wood-fibre, 
expanded  metal  and  wood-fibre,  pressed  gypsum  blocks  called 
Pyrobar,  brick,  concrete  blocks,  and  monolithic  concrete  with 
various  aggregates. 


Fig.  51.     Mixer  and  mould  for  making  concrete  blocks 

In  one  instance  noted  stoppings  had  been  built  of  %- 
inch-mesh  expanded  metal  nailed  on  props  with  one  side  of 
the  expanded  metal  plastered  with  wood-fibre  y2-inch  thick. 
The  metal  rusted  and  the  stoppings  fell  in  six  months.  They 
were  replaced  by  concrete  monoliths.  Berkytt  lath  nailed  to 
props  and  covered  with  wood-fibre  %-inch  thick  is  used  exten- 
sively for  stopping  material  in  District  VI.  This  stopping  is 
efficient  for  a  short  time.     Two  men  can  build  three  of  these 


VENTILATION 


163 


stoppings  a  day.  One  100-pound  sack  of  wood-fibre  costing 
$10.  per  ton  f.  o.  b.  mine  will  cover  one  stopping  8  by  10 
feet.  Berkytt  lath  bought  in  lengths  to  fit  a  mine  car  costs 
$15.50  per  thousand  board  feet.  At  a  mine  in  District  VII 
stoppings  are  built  of  shiplap  with  shale,  slack,  and  fireclay 
banked  on  each  side  of  the  lumber  stopping. 


Block  Machine 


HOUSE 


Chute 


CINDER  BIN 


u 


Cinder  Conveyor 


BOILEK  HOUSE 


Chute 


Fig.  52.     Arrangement  of  plant  for  making  concrete  blocks.     (After  Ross.) 

Pyrobar  stoppings  are  found  in  several  mines.  Pyrobar 
is  a  gypsum  block  made  in  two  sizes ;  12  by  30  by  4  inches  and 
12  by  30  by  15  inches,  and  to  decrease  the  weight  three  longi- 
tudinal core  holes  are  made  in  the  blocks.  The  block  4  inches 
thick  has  a  compressive  strength  of  154  pounds  per  square 

Table  24. — Total  cost  of  completed  stopping 


Cost  of  manufacture   in    cent? 

Cost  of  building  in  cents 

Total  laid  cost  in  cents 


Per    square    foot 
of     surface 

Per  block 

5.58 

4.96 

5.04 

4.48 

10.62 

9.44 

inch  and  the  block  5  inches  thick  a  strength  of  102  pounds,  the 
greater  compressive  strength  of  the  block  five  inches  thick 
being  due  to  greater  thickness  of  its  walls.  The  four-inch 
block  weighs  12  pounds  per  square  foot  of  surface  and  the 
five-inch  block,  IS1/*?  pounds.     The  price  of  the  four-inch  block 


164 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Table  25. — Material  and  initial  cost  of  stoppings 


Material    of 
stopping 


II    Concrete 
i  blocks 


III  Gob 

IV  Pyrobar 


!  Concrete 
V    blocks 


VI 


VII 


VIII 


Berkytt  lath 
and  wood  fibre 
Concrete 


Concrete 


Concrete 


Brick  coated 
with   cement 


Tamped  gob 
Tamped  gob 


Concrete 
blocks 


Concrete 


Proportions 
of  concrete 


1  Portland 
cement ;  6 
cinders 


bo 

c 

c  °  ° 


•  «  in 

*  is 

£8-2 


REMARKS 


1  cement ;  2  , 
sharp  wash- 
ed sand ;  4  ! 
crushed  lime 
stone 


48 
4 

12 


Wa 


1  Portland 
cement ;  2 
sand ;  7 
sifted    cind- 
ers 

1   cement ;   6 
sifted  cind- 
ers 

1  cement ;  2 
sand ;  5  slack 
from  floor 


14 


1  Portland 
cement ;  6 
crushed 
cinders 

1    cement;  5 

unsifted 

cinders 


72 
144 


21 


6.0 


11.4 
15.0 

16.6 

5.4 
7.0 

10.6 
25.1 


5  by  8 
by  20 


4  by  12 
by  30 


6     8  by  12 
by  24 


6  by  10 
by  20 


8  by   8 
by  16 


Blocks  cost  6  cents 
each  at  pit  mouth 


Unnecessary  aggre- 
gate. Blocks  weigh  180 
pounds.      Labor    costs 
8  cents  per  block 


Blocks  cost  4  cents 
each  at  pit  mouth 

To    replace    expanded 
metal  and  wood  fibre 


Brick  cost  $9  per  M. 
delivered.  One  man 
builds  one  stopping  7 
feet  by  12  feet  in  2 
days 

Cost  of  transportation 
of  gob  not  included 
Cost  of  transportation 
of  gob  not  included 


VENTILATION 


165 


is  four  cents  per  square  foot,  f.  o.  b.  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa.  The 
Pyrobar  block  is  well  adapted  to  mine  stoppings  and  fire  seals 
in  dry  mines  where  it  is  not  subjected  to  heavy  roof  settle- 
ment. The  blocks  can  be  sawed  into  desired  sizes  with  a  hand 
saw.  The  mortar  used  in  building  stoppings  with  this  ma- 
terial has  a  gypsum  base  and  costs  $6.50  per  ton.  Two  men 
can  build  three  6  by  12-foot  stoppings  in  eight  hours.  In  this 
district  a  6  by  12-foot  stopping  in  place  costs  $6.50;  about 
nine  cents  per  square  foot  of  surface.  Fire  seals  can  be  built 
easily  and  quickly  with  these  blocks  which  are  fire  resistant. 


Fig.  53.     Concrete  overcast 


Fig.  49  shows  an  efficient  brick  stopping  in  a  mine  in 
District  VI.  This  stopping  lias  one  course  of  brick  laid  on 
the  broad  side.  The  rib,  roof,  and  floor  are  cut  away  for  a 
depth  of  6  inches  to  provide  a  tight  joint.  In  the  center  a 
stiffener  course  is  laid  at  a  right  angle  to  the  other  bricks. 
Mortar  is  made  of  1  part  Portland  cement  and  3  parts  sand. 
After  the  bricks  are  laid,  both  sides  of  the  stoppings  are 
plastered  %-inch  thick  with  this  mortal-.  A  7  by  12-foot  stop- 
ping is  said  to  cost  $12. 

In  another  mine  in  District  VI  stoppings  are  built  of  con- 
crete with  unusual  ingredients.     One  part  Portland  cement  is 


166  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

mixed  with  2  parts  sand  and  5  parts  slack  shoveled  from  the 
floor.  The  larger  pieces  of  coal  in  the  slack  are  picked  out  by 
hand.  Stoppings  with  this  mixture  in  good  condition  were 
noted  which  have  been  in  place  11  years. 

Monolithic  concrete  is  extensively  used  for  stoppings  in 
the  larger  mines.  Concrete  stoppings  are  not  always  insert- 
ed deeply  enough  in  the  ribs,  roof  and  floor  and  consequently 
sometimes  allow  air  to  short-circuit  around  them.  Fig.  50 
shows  a  stopping  in  District  V  with  blocks  set  in  cuts  deep 
enough  to  provide  a  good  joint.  The  cut  is  made  about  2 
inches  wider  than  the  bearing  side  of  the  blocks,  and  the  joint 
in  rib,  roof,  and  floor  is  packed  with  cement  mortar  with  the 
proportions,  1,  Portland  cement ;  3,  sharp  washed  sand.  The 
rib  cut  is  14  inches  deep. 

The  usual  aggregates  for  concrete  blocks  or  monolithic 
concrete  are :  graded  gravel,  sand  and  crushed  limestone,  sand 
and  uncrushed  cinders,  crushed  cinders.  At  the  No.  1  mine 
of  the  Superior  Coal  Company  at  Gillespie  the  system  for 
making  concrete  blocks  is  very  efficient.  The  blocks  which 
are  made  on  the  surface  are  proportioned  as  follows :  1  Port- 
land cement ;  4  crushed  cinders.  The  mould  makes  with  one 
filling  a  block  8  by  8  by  16  inches  and  another  8  by  8  by  8 
inches.  Two  men  can  make  300  moulds  per  day,  which  is 
equivalent  to  450  blocks  8  by  8  by  16  inches,  as  the  300  smaller 
blocks  are  equal  to  150  of  the  larger.  The  mixer  and  mould 
are  illustrated  in  fig.  51.  The  arrangement  of  the  plant  is 
shown  in  fig.  52.  A  cinder  crusher  delivers  cinders  under 
114-inch  mesh  and  a  6  H.P.  Westinghouse  motor  operates  the 
crusher  and  the  mixer  which  handles  1/5  of  a  cubic  yard  per 
batch.  The  cost  of  manufacturing  concrete  blocks  at  this 
mine  and  delivering  at  the  pit  mouth  is  in  cents  per  block: 
Labor  1.08,  material  3.88,  total  4.96.  Each  block  has  0.888 
square  feet  of  face  and,  therefore,  the  cost  per  square  foot  of 
face  is  5.58  cents. 

To  obtain  a  proper  set  the  blocks  are  ripened  on  the  sur- 
face for  two  weeks.  To  estimate  the  cost  of  a  stopping  in 
place,  costs  of  material  transportation  from  the  top  to  the 
required  location  in  the  mine  and  of  stopping  construction 


Table  26. — Ventilating   equipment   of  mines  producing   less 
than  1000  tons  daily 


Fan 

V 

District 

No.  seam 

1       O) 

c 

1 

6 

a 

-o 

<u 
o. 

in 
G 
O 
H 

•3  « 

ffja 

Size  in  feet 

of  air  shaft 

in  clear 

Type  of  fan1 

u 
u 

li 

2 

900 

465 

8     by  12 

Capell 

10 

4 

3 

7  do 

398 

5     by    9 

Paddle-wheel      8 

4 

4 

550 

546 

8    by  10 

Paddle-wheel    20 

10 

5 

400     135 

6    by  12 

Paddle-wheel    20 

6 

6 

900     100 

10  ft.  diam. 

Crawford  & 
McCrimmon 

16 

4 

I 

2 

7 

800     200 

8    by  16 

Paddle-wheel 

8 

700     300 

6    by    6 

Paddle-wheel 

10 

9 

200 

6    by    7 

Crawford  & 

19 

4 

12 

150 

McCrimmon 
Paddle-wheel 

16 

125 

8    by  10 

4 

II 

2 

14 

300     135 

4i  by     7\ 

Paddle-wheel    16 

4 

15 
17 

800 
500 

160 

8     by  12 
6     by  12 

Robinson 
Paddle-wheel 

6 
18 

2\ 

210 

4 

18 

850       69 

8     by  10 

Robinson 

10 

4 

III 

1  and  2 

19 

850       70 

8     by  12 

Paddle-wheel    12 

3  A 

22 

30       60 

4    by     5 

Paddle-wheel      6 

2\ 

24 
"26 

350 
900 

40 

6     by     8 
8     by  15 

Pr\ddle-wheel 

6 
6| 

4 

196 

Sturtevant 

4 

27 

550     170 

6    by  14 

Paddle-wheel    12 

4 

28 

950     150 

5     by  10 

Paddle-wheel    20 

7 

32 

550       68 

6    by    9 

Paddle-wheel    10 

4 

IV 

5 

34 

650     200 

5    by  10 

Paddle-wheel    12 

4 

35 

275     162 

6    by     8 

Paddle-wheel    12 

6 

40 

700     270 

Jeffery                   6 

3i 

41 

325 

365 

4.}  by     7 

Stevens              10 

2 

5 

42 

48 

750 
800 

570 
76k 

6    by    8 

Duncan 

15 
10 

3} 

V 

5     by  10 

Paddle-wheel 

3 

48 

800 

76-} 

5    by  10 

Paddle-wheel 

18 

4 

69 

500 

290 

5    by  10 

Paddle-wheel 

16 

4 

78 

800 

140 

7    by  16 

Paddle-wheel 

20 

5 

81 

800 

200 

7    by  14 

Paddle-wheel 

16 

4 

VII 

6 

83 

800 

140 

6    by  16 

Paddle-wheel 

14 

4 

87 

800 

707 

6     by     8 

Paddle-wheel 

12 

4 

89 

400       85 

6    by    8 

Paddle-wheel 

15 

3 

90 

500 '    160 

6    by  12 

Capell 

6 

12 

Paddle-wheel  refers  to  straight  blade  type  of  fan. 


163 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Table  26. — Continued 

No.  seam 

c 

e 

6 

OS 

a 

c 
o 
H 

"o.c 

Size  in  feet 

of  air  shaft 

in  clear 

Type  of  fan1 

Fan 

District 

c 

CD 

rt 

1- 

92 

150 

240 

6    by  14 

Capell 

10 

4 

VIII 

6  and  7 

94 

800 

90 

7    by  14 

Capell 

12 

6 

95 

50 

40 

44  by    4J 

Paddle-wheel 

3 

14 

97 

300 

223 

6    by  10 

Capell 

14 

64 

Averages  by 
districts 

I 

2 

650 

280 

71  by  lOi 

15 

51 

II 

417 

140 

61  by    91 

121 

34 

III 

1  and  2 

433 

90 

61  by    94 

10| 

34 

IV 

5 

628 

239 

5|  by  10 

Hi 

44 

V 

5 

600 

88 

Si  by     8 

VII 

6 

657 

246 

6     by  12 

14 

54 

VIII 

6  and  7 

360 

148 

6     by  10J 

10 

44 

Average  of  38 

mines 

573 

199 

64  by  10 

124 

44 

must  be  considered.  The  cost  items  of  erecting  such  a  stop- 
ping, 8  by  10  feet,  containing  90  blocks  are :  Delivery  from 
surface  to  location  in  mine  71  cents ;  preparing  ribs  and  build- 
ing stopping  requiring  the  labor  of  2  men  for  4  hours,  $2.62 ; 
2  sacks  of  cement,  60  cents,  and  sand,  10  cents,  to  be  used  for 
mortar.  The  total  cost  of  transportation  of  blocks  and  erec- 
tion of  stopping  is  $4.03.  The  building  cost  is  5.04  cents  per 
square  foot  or  4.48  cents  per  block.  Table  24  gives  total  cost 
for  stopping  in  place. 

A  tight  stopping  8  inches  thick  is  provided  at  a  total  cost 
of  10.6  cents  per  square  foot. 

Table  25  gives  cost  and  material  of  stoppings  by  districts. 

Overcasts  for  carrying  the  intake  air  over  the  return  air- 
way are  built  of  lumber,  concrete,  lumber  and  concrete,  old 
rails  or  steel  I-beams  and  concrete,  brick,  brick  and  lumber, 
brick  and  steel,  and  Pyrobar.  The  cost  of  an  overcast  varies 
from  40  to  250  dollars  depending  upon  its  material  and  sub- 
stantiality.     It   is   false   economy   to   build   an   overcast   of 


VENTILATION  169 


material  which  is  not  permanently  air  tight  because  loss  of 
air  and  repair  cost  make  a  leaky  overcast  expensive.  Fig.  53 
shows  a  permanent  air  tight  overcast  which  has  no  repair 
expense.  This  overcast  cost  about  $150  and  is  built  of  con- 
crete reinforced  with  steel  I-beams.  The  concrete  has  the 
proportions :  1  Portland  cement ;  2  river  sand ;  2  unsifted 
cinders.  At  a  few  mines  in  District  VIII  overcasts  are  lined 
with  y2-mch  tongue-and-groove.  Lining  the  overcast  pre- 
vents its  rilling  with  an  accumulation  of  small  roof  falls  which 
chokes  the  ventilating  current. 

At  a  few  mines  the  crossing  of  air  is  made  by  an  under- 
cast.  An  undercast  collects  water  reducing  its  available 
cross-section  and  is  expensive  to  keep  open. 

No  two  operating  companies  segregate  the  same  items 
into  ventilation  cost  so  that  figures  for  total  cost  of  ventila- 
tion are  not  available.  At  a  mine  in  District  VI  with  2,400 
tons  daily  production  the  total  ventilating  cost  excluding  cost 
of  steam  used  by  the  fan  engine  but  including  that  of  trap- 
pers, examiners,  brattice  cloth  and  labor  on  brattices  is  y2- 
cent  per  ton  of  coal.  At  a  mine  in  District  1 1 1  the  total  ven- 
tilating cost  is  3.9  cents  per  ton  of  coal.  In  determining  ven- 
tilation cost  at  this  mine  wages  of  foreman,  assistant  fore- 
man, pumpers,  trappers  and  water  bailers  are  apportioned  in 
the  segregation  of  items  and  ventilation  is  charged  with  its 
proportionate  amount. 

Fan  engines  are  operated  by  steam  at  all  except  one  or 
two  mines  where  the  fan  is  driven  by  electricity.  Ventilating 
equipment  varies  in  a  general  way  with  the  size  of  the  mine. 
Tables  26,  27,  and  28  give  ventilating  equipment  for  the  mines 
examined  segregated  by  tonnage.  At  mines  producing  more 
than  2000  tons  per  day  the  average  air  shaft  and  ventilating 
fan  are  much  larger  than  at  mines  with  less  than  1000  tons 
output. 


170 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Table  27. — Ventilating  equipment  of  mines  producing  1000 
and  less  than  2000  tons  daily 


Fan 

V 

«         .-1         Size  in  feet 

c 

rt 

District 

No.  seam 

^          ***    !     of  air  shaft 

Type  of  fan1 

c 

«j          o.S             in  clear 

V 

°*j 

S 

6 

0) 

s 

O 

H 

•Ba  i 

V 

its 

.2  S 

0*~ 

T3**"1 

1 

1450     413     9    by  12 

Capell 

14 

8 

I 

2 

10 

1000 !    480 

8    by  12 

Capell 

16 

6 

11 

13 

25 

1200 
1300 

530 
114 

5    by    9 

20 
10 
15 

6 

II 

2 

9    by  20 

Robinson 

3 

1200      185 

8    by    8 

Paddle-wheel 

3* 

29 

1100     185     8    by  16 

Paddle-wheel 

16 

4 

IV 

5 

31 

1200       60     9    by  15 

Duncan 

22 

6 

33 

1600     285     6    by  12 

Robinson 

12 

6 

38 
44 

1400     245     6    by  12 
1400     270    11    by  20 

Jeffrey 
Paddle-wheel 

10 
20 

4 

6 

V 

5 

45 

1600     320     6    bv    8 

Paddle-wheel 

12 

5 

46    1100     450     8    by  12 

Paddle-wheel 

20 

5 

49 

1100     337 
1200     494 

6    by  10 

Paddle-wheel 

14 
20~ 

4 

9    by  13 

Capell 

7 

54 

1600     380     8    by  12 

Paddle-wheel 

15 

5 

55 

1200     180     6    by    8 

16 

4 

VI 

6 

56 

1400     580     9    by  13 

Robinson 

16 

5 

57 

1600     318  i    9\  by  15 

Capell 

10 

5 

64 

1350     120    10    by  14 

Blakslee 

20 

5 

65 
67 

1600  !     65  i    8    by  10 
1250     320     5     by  10 

Paddle-wheel 

20 

20 

7 

Paddle-wheel 

6 

70 

1250       92     8    by  16 

Paddle-wheel 

22 

5 

79 

1700     127     6    by    8 

Paddle-wheel 

12 

4 

VII 

6 

80 

1000      145      7    by  12 

Capell 

20 

5 

85 

1200     440     4    bv    6 

Paddle-wheel 

22 

6 

86 

1800  i    536     7*  by    9* 

Stevens 

10 

3 

88 
^91 

1050 
1250 

85 

217 

7\  by  11 
8    by  12 

Capell 
Capell 

20 
16~ 

6 

VIII 

6  and  7 

4 

Averages  by 

districts 

I 

2 

1216 

474|    71  by  11 

161 

61 

II 

2 

1300 

114!    9    by  20 

10 

3 

IV 

5 

1300 

192 

7§  by  14 

15 

5 

V 

5 

1300 

344 

8    by  \2\ 

18J 

5 

VI 

6 

1422 

305 

8£  by  12 

19 

5* 

VII 

6 

1322 

249 

6J-  by  10 

18 

5 

VIII 

6  and  7 

1250 

217 

8    by  12 

16 

4 

Average  of  28 

mines 

1325 

285 

7\  by  12 

16| 

5 

Paddle-wheel  refers  to  straight  blade  type  of  fan. 


MINE  FIRES 

Many  mines  are  troubled  with  small  fires  originating 
from  various  causes  but  principally  occurring  at  the  face 
after  shots  with  black  powder  and  in  the  gob  in  damp  rooms 
where  the  gob  contains  a  mixture  of  fine  coal  and  iron  pyrites. 
Nearly  all  fires  are  discovered  before  they  attain  serious  pro- 
portions and  are  quenched  with  water  or  loaded  out.  To  ex- 
tinguish them  costs  from  5  to  150  dollars.  Many  fires,  how- 
ever, require  sealing  off.  One  fire  which  started  at  the  face 
after  shooting  in  a  mine  in  District  VI  affected  1300  feet  of 
both  of  a  pair  of  cross-entries  and  was  sealed  off  by  a  wall  of 
cement-and-cinder  concrete  2  feet  thick.  Concrete  is  a  favor- 
ite material  for  seals  and  the  usual  seal  costs  from  25  to  200 
dollars  in  place.  Seals  are  built  of  lumber,  gob,  brick,  con- 
crete, or  Pyrobar.  In  Districts  IV,  V,  VI,  and  VII  gob  fires 
are  frequent.  At  the  No.  1  mine  of  the  Peabody  Coal  Com- 
pany at  Nokomis  on  account  of  the  heavy  shale  over  the  coal 
it  was  the  intention  to  drive  wide  entries  and  to  allow  the 
shale  below  the  upper  limestone  to  fall.  As  the  entry  prog- 
ressed the  carbonaceous  shale  was  displaced  by  a  thin  bed  of 
dirty  coal.  To  prevent  the  mine  fires  which  would  have  oc- 
curred if  this  coal  were  mixed  with  the  gob  it  became  neces- 
sary to  narrow  the  entries  and  to  hold  up  all  of  the  shale  by 
heavy  timbering.1 

Stable  fires  are  quite  frequent  in  Districts  V  and  VII 
and  are  usually  caused  by  cap  lamps.  In  these  districts  ex- 
treme carelessness  is  tolerated  in  the  use  of  naked  Lamps  in 
underground  stables.  At  many  mines  proper  care  is  not 
observed  in  the  transportation  of  hay  from  the  surface  to 
the  underground  stables  and  it  is  often  taken  into  the  mine 
in  open  cars  and  sometimes  is  allowed  to  lie  for  several  hours 
on  the  stable  floor  after  unloading.  The  Illinois  mining  laws 
regarding  the  protection  of  stables  from  lire  are  unusually 
stringent  and  if  obeyed  should  make  stable  fires  impossible. 

In  District  VI  the  provisions  of  the  State  law  with  regard 
to  the  transportation  of  hay  to  stables  where  mnles  are  kept 

1Bulletin  n,  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Coal  Resources  <>f  District  VII,  bv 
F.  H.  Kay. 

(171) 


172 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Table  28. — Ventilating  equipment  of  mines  producing  2000 
tons  daily  and  over 


Fan 

<t> 

District 

No.  seam 

s 
S 

6 

u 

c 
!     £ 

"3." 
"o.S 

Q" 

Size  in  feet 

of  air  shaft 

in  clear 

Type  of  fan1 

c 

u 

id 

I* 

36 

2450 

200 

7\  by  15 

Stevens 

12 

4 

IV 

5 

37 

2700 

235 

10    by  14 

Buffalo -Forge 

16 

5 

39 
43 
50 

2400 

204 
160 
726 

10     by  12 
8    by    8 

Capell 

Clifford-Capell 

Capell 

13 
20 

n 

V 

5 

2500 

si 

2000 

10    by  15 

7 

52 

2400 

640 

9    by  13 

Capell 

11 

5 

53 

2500 

417 

12     by  12 

Robinson 

18 

8 

58 

2500 

515 

9    by  13 

Paddle-wheel 

13^ 

6 

VI 

6 

59 

3000 

220 

10    by  14 

Paddle-wheel 

21 

6 

60 

2250 

112 

Crawford  & 
McCrimmon 

20 

8 

62 

2325 

190 

8     by  12 

Blakslee 

20 

6 

63 
66 

2600 
4000 

140 
332 

10    by  12 
8    by  14 

Robinson 
Miller 

20 
18 

6 

6 

68 

2500 

387 

7    bv  12 

Duncan 

22 

6 

71 

2500 

205 

8    by  18 

Sullivan 

10 

6 

72 

4000 

287 

9    by  12 

Capell 

20 

8 

73 

3750 

318 

8    by  18 

Duncan 

21 

6 

VII 

6 

74 

2800 

330 

81  by  17 

Paddle-wheel 

22 

5 

75 

2000 

310 

8J  by    51 

Crawford 

16 

2 

76 

2120 

370 

11     by  22 

Capell 

15 

6 

77 

2500 

462 

9    by  16 

Sullivan 

10 

5 

82 

3000 

192 

7    by  10 

Paddle-wheel 

20 

5 

84 
93 

2000 

320 
186 

6    by    8 

Paddle-wheel 

15 
24 

8 

VIII 

6  and  7 

2600 

8    by  12 

Capell 

7 

Averages  by 
districts 

IV 

5 

2517 

213 

91  by  131 

14 

SI 

V 

5 

2500 

160 

8     by    8 

13 

Si 

VI 

6 

2447 

370 

9|  by  13 

18 

6i 

VII 

6 

2834 

319 

8h  by  14 

17 

51 

VIII 

6  and  7 

2600 

186 

8    by  12 

24 

7 

Average  of  24 

mines 

2641 

311 

9    by  13 

17 

6 

1  Paddle-wheel  refers  to  straight  blade  type  of  fan. 


MINE    FIRE  1(6 

underground  is  attended  with  more  care  than  in  any  other 
district  in  Illinois.  In  almost  every  mine  examined  in  this 
district  the  provisions  of  the  State  law  with  respect  to  the 
transportation  of  hay  to  underground  stables  are  scrupulous- 
ly observed.  The  hay,  which  is  baled,  is  carried  in  a  specially 
constructed  car.     Fig.  54  shows  a  steel  hay  car  in  an  under- 


Fig.  54. 


Steel  hay  car  and  concrete  hay  room.     (Photo  by  R.  Y.  Williams., 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.) 


ground  stable  in  which  a  concrete-walled  room  is  provided  for 
the  storage  of  small  quantities  of  hay. 

At  a  great  majority  of  the  mines  in  Illinois  mules  are 
stabled  underground,  but  at  many  mines  the  mules  are  stabled 
on  the  surface.  At  one  mine  having  24  mules  on  the  second- 
ary haulage  they  are  hoisted  out  each  night.  It  requires 
thirty  minutes  to  hoist  and  the  same  time  to  lower  them  and 
the  total  expense  of  these  operations  is  $0.000888  per  ton  of 
coal  hoisted. 


174  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

In  many  mines  an  unnecessary  liability  of  fire  is  added 
by  allowing  comparatively  large  quantities  of  lubricating  oil 
to  be  stored  in  the  run-around  or  at  other  points  near  the 
shaft.  In  one  mine  two  full  barrels  of  oil  and  four  empties 
were  kept  within  25  feet  of  the  main  hoisting  shaft,  while  200 
feet  away  were  stored  two  full  and  three  empty  barrels.  In 
the  newer  mines  danger  of  underground  fire  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum  by  prohibiting  the  storing  of  oil  in  the  run-around. 
The  daily  supply  taken  below  is  stored  in  a  small  room  driven 
in  the  rib  near  the  shaft  and  closed  by  a  fireproofed  door. 
The  oil  is  also  heated  here  by  steam  coils.  In  District  VIII 
at  the  Little  Vermilion  mine  of  the  Bunsen  Coal  Company  an 
unusual  method  of  conveying  oil  to  the  shaft  bottom  was 
noted.  On  the  surface  at  a  distance  of  100  feet  from  the 
hoisting  shaft  three  oil  tanks  are  sunk  5  feet  deep  in  the 
ground.  One  tank  of  400  gallons  capacity  contains  black  oil ; 
one  of  250  gallons  capacity  contains  engine  oil ;  and  a  third  of 
200  gallons  capacity  holds  cylinder  oil.  Pipes  from  these 
tanks  are  carried  down  the  pipe-way  in  the  hoisting-shaft  and 
the  various  oils  are  pumped  direct  to  the  bottom  as  needed. 
This  method  obviates  the  necessity  of  taking  oil  into  the  shaft 
in  barrels  or  in  cans  and  does  away  with  storing  oil  in  the 
run-around. 


LIGHTING 

Carbide  lamps  are  used  extensively  by  the  miners.  At 
one  mine  in  District  VI  the  management  forbids  their  use  and 
insists  on  the  use  of  oil  lamps.  The  smoky  oil  lamps  pollute 
the  air  in  rooms  and  in  mines  where  they  are  used  air  at  the 
working  face  is  noticeably  more  impure  than  where  carbide 
is  used.  The  use  of  open  lamps  should  be  carefully  regulated 
in  Districts  V  and  VI.  The  bottoms  and  main  haulage  en- 
tries of  207  mines  in  Illinois  are  lighted  by  electricity. 


HAULAGE 

The  flat  lying  seams  of  Illinois  offer  every  opportunity 
for  the  development  of  speed  in  haulage  but  it  is  only  since 
1906  that  the  introduction  of  locomotives  and  the  opening  of 
mines  of  large  capacity  have  developed  the  present  rapid 
transportation  of  coal  from  the  face  to  the  shaft  bottom.  Lo- 
comotives are  rapidly  superseding  mules  and  rope  haulage  on 
the  main  haulageways.  This  is  clearly  shown  in  the  follow- 
ing tabulation : 

Kind  of  Haulage  in  Illinois  Shipping  Mines1 

No.    Mines  Using  on   Main   Haulage 
Year  Locomotive  Cable  Mules  Hand  pushing 

1907 75  25  303  5 

1908 88  32  283  4 

1909 96  16  268  4 

1910 106  25  251  8 

1911 137  24  219  7 

1912 165  4  210  1 

1913 185  13  168  0 

1914 191  0  139  1 

1Compiled  from  Thirty-first   Annual   Coal    Report   of  Illinois. 

Local  mines  do  not  need  mechanical  haulage  and  their 
output  would  not  support  it.  In  most  of  them  cars  are  pushed 
by  hand  and  in  some  are  hauled  by  mules.  Tn  one  mine  in 
District  IIT  cars  were  hauled  by  dogs  for  many  years  as 
shown  in  fig.  55.  In  1912  locomotives  were  used  in  167  of 
the  mines  in  the  State,  rope  haulage  was  used  in  21,  mules  in 
339,  and  in  244  the  cars  were  pushed  to  the  bottom  by  hand 
About  80  per  cent  of  the  production  is  hauled  by  locomotives, 
19  per  cent  by  mules,  and  less  than  1  per  cent  by  cable. 

Standard  electric  locomotives  were  used  in  45  of  the 
mines  examined,  rack-rail  locomotives  in  4,  and  gasoline  loco- 
motives in  7. 

Tables  29  and  30  give  data  on  performance  of  the  three 
types  of  locomotives.  Electric  locomotives  in  the  mines  ex- 
amined make  the  greatest  number  of  ton-miles  per  day.  The 
combination  third  and  rack-rail  locomotive  is  used  only  in 
mines  of  small  outputs  where  rolls  and  pitches  in  the  seam 
cause  steep  grades.  The  third-rail  in  coal  mines  is  dangerous 
and  leakage  of  power  through  it  is  serious  where  the  floor  is 

•       (175) 


176 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


wet.  At  one  mine  in  District  VII  power  loss  through  the 
third-rail  was  so  great  that  a  trolley  was  strung  and  the  loco- 
motive fitted  with  a  pole. 

Gasoline  locomotives  are  used  chiefly  in  mines  where 
formerly  mules  were  used  and  where  the  haul  from  parting 
to  bottom  has  become  too  long  for  profitable  mule  haulage. 

Table  29. — Ton  mileage  of  standard  electric  locomotives 


District                   No.   seam 

No.  mine 

Weight  of 

locomotives 

in  tons 

Miles  traveled 
per  shift 

Ton  mileage 
per  shift 

I              |         2 

8 
11 

II                       2 

13 

25 

10 

26 

Hi 

39.8 

1356 

28 

10 

37.9 

1136 

IV 

5 

31 

12 

34.1 

1355 

33 

7i. 

20.0 

780 

36 

12 

31.1 

1434 

37 

15 

30.0 

1716 

38 

10 
15 

38.6 

1622 

43 

29.8 

1509 

44 

10 

14.2 

1167 

V 

5               45 

10 

18.0 

675 

48 

6 

21.8 

575 

49 

8 

42.3 

888 

50 

15 

18.9 

796 

51 

10 

9.5 

296 

52 

12 

30.7 

1266 

53 

54 

12 

6.8 

320 

56 

10 

22.8 

592 

VI                       6 

57 

8 

58 

13 

34.1 

1381 

59 

15 

37.9 

2040 

60 

13 

27.3 

851 

62 

10 

27.3 

745 

63 

65 

8 

35.0 

735 

HAULAGE 


177 


Table  29. — Continued 


District 


No.  seam 


No.  mine 


Weight  of 

locomotives 

in  tons 


Miles  traveled 
per  shift 


Ton  mileage 
per  shift 


66 

15 

34.1 

1823 

67 

7\ 

47.0 

1598 

68 

10 

10.6 

875 

70 

7\ 

41.7 

1337 

71 

13 

30.3 

1560 

72 

12 

23.0 

1127 

73 

10 

VII 

6 

74 

12* 

26.5 

1432 

75 

10 

15.1 

920 

76 

10 

22.7 

977 

77 

13 

21.0 

992 

82 

12 

36.0 

4095 

84 

12 

15.9 

730 

86 

12 

15.2 

1045 

87 

10 

32.5 

1366 

VIII 

6  and  7 

93 

13 

38.4 

1208 

Averages  by 

districts 

IV 

5 

11 

33.1 

1343 

V 

5 

10 

25.2 

963 

VI 

6 

11* 

25.0 

902 

VII 

6 

11 

26.6 

1420 

VIII 

6  and  7 

13 

38.4 

1208 

Average  of  45  r 

nines 

11 

27.5 

1198 

Their  great  advantages  are  cheapness  of  installation  and  flex- 
ibility. The  necessity  of  bonding  rails  is  obviated,  no  surface 
plant  is  required,  and  the  change  from  mule  haulage  can  be 
made  without  stringing  trolley  wires.  They  are  subject,  how- 
ever, to  the  usual  defects  of  the  gasoline  engine  when  required 
to  do  variable  work.  Their  limitations  for  use  in  mines  are 
clearly  shown  by  Prof.  O.  P.  Hood,  Chief  Mechanical  En- 
gineer of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.1  Prof.  Hood  says,  "The 
size  of  a  gasoline  locomotive  that  may  with  safety  be  intro- 
duced into  a  mine  depends  upon  the  amount  of  air  that  can  be 


1Gasoline    Locomotives    in    Relation    to    the    Health    of    the    Miners. 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  October,  1914,  p.  2607. 


Bulletin    of    the 


178 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Fig.  55.     Pit-car  hauled  by  dog.     (Photo  by  Mr.  James  Taylor) 

Table  30. — Ton  mileage  of  locomotives  other  than 
standard  electric 


Kind 

5 

No. 
mine 

Weight  of 

locomotive 

in   tons 

Miles  traveled 
per   shift 

Ton  mileage 
per  shift 

Gasoline 

III 

19 

5 

28.4 

512 

24 

7 

11.4 

150 

IV 

29 

8 

13.3 

270 

39 

12 

33.1 

1392 

64 

8 

27.3 

458 

VI 

79 

6 

12.7 

468 

"7 

81 

5 

16.6 

518 

Rack-rail 

2 

23,4 

33.0 

528 

II 

15 

VII 

88 

5 

40.0 

1593 

89 

4 

35.0 

1556 

Average : 

Standard  electric 
Third-rail  electric 
Gasoline 


11.0 
3.9 
7.3 


27.2 
36.0 
20.4 


1198 
1226 

538 


HAULAGE 


179 


mixed  with  the  exhaust  gases  in  the  most  unfavorable  portion 
of  the  run  of  the  locomotive.  For  each  cubic  foot  of  carbon 
monoxide  possible  to  generate  in  the  engine  there  should  be 
available  2,000  cu.  ft.  of  air  to  mix  with  the  exhaust  gases  if 
this  air  is  for  continued  breathing,  while  for  short  and  infre- 
quent intervals  the  proportion  may  rise  to  one  part  in  one 
thousand."     Table  31  gives  data  compiled  by  Prof.  Hood. 


Table  31. — Amount  of  air  required  for  ventilation  with 
various  sizes  of  gasoline  locomotives 


Amount     of     air 

c 

(Cu     ft.   per 

"" 

a 

Id 

Maximum  probable  amount  of  nox- 

min.)    required 

V 

e 

ious    gases    (Cu.    ft.    per   min.    at 

to     dilute     ex- 

.2 

1/3 

6o°     F.    and    30    in.    barometer) 

haust  gases  to  1 

!_ 

V 

produced    with 

part  CO  per 

c 

'>, 

Pi 

n  u 

1000  parts  of 
air2 

c 

0 

c 

2  3 

Good 
carburation 

] 

carl 

be 

c 

a 

OhW 



w 

CO 

co„ 

CO 

Bad 


2  3 


-a  3 
3-° 


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4.17 

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15.85 

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aArea  piston  in  square  feet  multiplied  by  stroke  in  feet  multiplied  by  number  of  cylin- 
ders  multiplied   by  revolutions  per  minute. 

2Maximum  amount  of  carbon  monoxide  which  can  be  breathed  for  short  and  infrequent 
intervals  without  injurious  effects. 


The  first  gasoline  locomotive  used  in  Illinois  mines  was 
built  by  the  Sangamon  Coal  Company  and  put  in  its  mine  at 
Springfield  in  1904.  This  crude  machine,  fig.  56,  pulled  in  a 
trip  seven  to  nine  pit  cars  each  weighing  loaded  4,000  pounds. 
The  rails  in  the  mine  at  that  time  weighed  16  pounds  per  yard. 
In  Illinois  gasoline  locomotives  in  mines  average  30.8  ton- 
miles  per  gallon  of  gasoline  and  about  700  ton-miles  per  gal- 


180 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Ion  of  engine  oil.  Their  average  travel  per  shift  is  about  20 
miles. 

Rope  haulage  is  still  used  in  a  few  mines  and  with  limited 
outputs  furnishes  economical  transportation  of  coal.  In  two 
mines  hauling  with  main-and-tail  rope  cost  of  haulage  from 
parting  to  bottom  averages  2%  cents  per  ton. 

Gathering  is  usually  done  with  mules.  Standard  5  or  6- 
ton  electric  locomotives  are  used  for  gathering  in  a  few  mines 


Fig.  56.     First    gasoline    mine-locomotive    in    Illinois. 

Frank  R.  Fisher.) 


(Photo    loaned    by    Mr. 


and  storage-battery  locomotives  in  one.  The  storage-battery 
locomotives  for  gathering  in  mines  without  any  steep  grades 
are  reported  to  be  successful  and  cheap  to  operate. 

Mules  are  kept  in  good  condition  in  Illinois  mines.  Their 
useful  life  is  decreasing  because  the  increased  production  of 
the  mines  and  the  substitution  of  locomotives  for  mules  on  the 
long  hauls  have  limited  the  work  of  the  animals  to  gathering, 


HAULAGE  181 

and  as  this  must  be  done  at  high  speed  to  keep  the  locomotives 
supplied  with  loads  the  life  of  a  mule  has  consequently  been 
shortened.  In  many  mines  in  this  district  and  throughout 
the  State  the  limit  of  the  average  mule 's  work  underground  is 
3  years.  The  expense  per  mule  including  feed,  shoeing  and 
harness  repair  is  estimated  to  be  75  cents  to  one  dollar  a  day. 
Figures  on  ton-mileage  of  mules  are  seldom  available.  In 
one  mine  on  a  2  per  cent  grade  in  favor  of  the  loads  two  mules 
weighing  1300  pounds  each  made  seventy-five  loaded  trips  of 
700  feet  with  four  cars  weighing  empty  1000  pounds  apiece, 
each  car  having  a  capacity  of  3500  pounds.  With  this  load 
and  haul  the  daily  ton-mileage  for  each  mule  was  54.67.  At 
one  mine  with  a  2  per  cent  grade  in  favor  of  the  loads  a  spike 
team  of  3  mules  hauls  trips  of  17  cars  each  weighing  empty 
1800  pounds  and  holding  2100  of  coal,  making  a  total  weight 
of  3900  pounds  per  loaded  car  and  approximately  33  tons  for 
the  trip.  At  a  mine  in  District  VIII  where  there  is  a  0.6 
per  cent  grade  against  the  loads  mules  travel  8.9  miles  per 
day,  averaging  64  ton-miles. 

On  account  of  incomplete  segregation  of  cost  items  the 
cost  of  gathering  can  not  be  obtained  with  accuracy.  It  prob- 
ably ranges  from  4y2  to  7  cents.  Total  cost  of  haulage  in 
mines  other  than  longwall  varies  from  6  to  15  cents.  In  one 
mine  which  was  recently  abandoned  because  it  was  worked 
out,  haulage  cost  25  cents  per  ton  of  coal. 

In  longwall  mines  the  costs  of  haulage  and  maintenance 
of  haulage  ways  are  high  per  ton  of  coal  because  from  14  to 
lA  of  the  entire  tonnage  hauled  to  the  bottom  is  waste.  Fur- 
thermore, the  continuous  settling  of  the  roof,  and  in  many 
mines,  the  heaving  of  the  floor,  add  an  expense  for  brushing 
roof  and  floor  which  is  not  an  item  in  room-and-pillar  mines. 
The  roadways  are  usually  maintained  4  feet  high  and  7  to  9 
feet  wide.  The  miners  brush  the  roof  at  the  face,  but  the 
settling  as  the  face  advances  necessitates  a  further  1) rushing 
which  is  done  in  the  LaSalle  field  by  the  company.  Pig.  57 
shows  the  amount  of  "company  brushing"  necessary  at  one 
mine  after  subsidence.  This  brushing  of  roof  and  floor  costs 
the  operators  in  the  LaSalle  field  approximately  15  cents  per 
ton  of  run-of-mine  coal.     Labor  for  haulage  costs  approxi- 


182 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


mately  12y2  cents.  Maintenance  of  mules  and  car  repairing 
costs  5%  cents.  The  total  cost  items  chargeable  to  haulage 
and  maintenance  of  haulage  roadways  amount  to  about  33 
cents  in  a  typical  mine  with  mule  haulage  on  both  main  and 
cross  entries. 

The  chief  reasons  for  high  haulage  costs  in  mines  other 
than  longwall  are  failure  to  keep  partings  close  enough  to  the 
working  face  to  enable  gathering  mules  to  fill  them  with  loads 


Fig.  57.     Amount  of  "company  brushing"  necessary  after  settling 

between  trips  of  the  locomotive,  pit  cars  with  high  friction  of 
running  gear,  light  rails  on  main  haulage,  steep  grades,  sharp 
curves,  and  gob  on  the  track.  In  nearly  all  mines  haulage 
costs  can  be  materially  reduced.  Pit  cars  are  often  leaky  and 
spill  coal  along  the  track  thus  adding  to  the  supply  of  dust  on 
the  ribs.  On  account  of  poor  track  and  road-bed  wrecks  are 
frequent  in  many  mines.  At  one  mine  in  District  VII  with  a 
daily  production  of  1050  tons  it  is  necessary  to  clean  up  an 


HAULAGE 


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average  of  20  tons  from  the  haulageway  each  night  because  of 
the  many  wrecks  and  the  loss  of  coal  from  pit  cars  in  transit. 
At  another  mine  which  has  low  grades,  easy  curves  and  a 
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tons. 

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two  mines  the  loads  from  the  high  side  are  lowered  by  a  cable 
and  drum  down  an  incline. 


Fig.  58.     Automatic  chain  car-haul 


Equipment  for  haulage  is  excellent  in  all  of  the  newly 
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wider  and  the  rail  weight  heavier  than  with  mule  haulage,  and 
the  ratio  of  coal  carried  to  weight  of  empty  car  is  greater, 


186 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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190  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

which  shows  that  less  money  is  expended  in  hauling  excess 
weight  of  cars.  The  percentage  of  car  weight  in  total  load 
of  car  and  coal  is  about  28.  This  is  the  relation  which  obtains 
between  weight  of  modern  steel  railroad  cars  and  total  weight 
of  car  and  load.  The  pressed-steel  railroad  cars  with  a  ca- 
pacity of  100,000  pounds  weigh  empty  from  38,000  to  46,000 
pounds. 

To  keep  locomotives  in  good  repair  there  are  well  equip- 
ped machine  shops  underground  in  a  few  mines  (See  fig.  59) 
where  locomotives  are  examined  daily  for  defective  parts  and 
poor  adjustments.  The  locomotives  are  consequently  kept 
up  to  the  highest  possible  mechanical  efficiency. 


K^1      ~~ 

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Fig.  59.     Underground  machine  shop 

Mixed  ties  with  dimensions  4  inches  by  4  inches  by  5y2 
feet  are  usually  bought  for  the  haulage  roads.  Mixed  ties 
can  be  bought  at  Mulkeytown  in  District  VI  at  10  cents  f.  o.  b. 
They  are  elm,  hickory,  water-oak,  white-oak,  and  sassafras. 
The  average  shipment  in  Illinois  contains  about  10  per  cent 
of  white-oak  ties,  which  are  the  most  desirable.  Mixed  ties 
cost  the  middleman  7  cents  each,  of  which  amount  4  cents  is 
paid  for  cutting  and  trimming  in  the  woods  and  3  cents  for 
hauling  to  the  shipping  point.  When  white-oak  ties  are  spec- 
ified the  purchaser  pays  15  cents  each  f.  o.  b.  shipping  point, 
and  the  middleman  12%  cents.  About  1000  ties  can  be  cut 
from  an  acre  of  timber. 


HOISTING 

In  Illinois  in  the  year  ended  June  30,  1912,  the  coal  was 
reached  by  a  slope  at  93  mines,  by  a  drift  at  214  and  by  a 
shaft  at  572.  Hoisting,  according  to  the  Illinois  Coal  Report 
for  that  year,  was  done  by  steam  at  555  mines,  by  horses  at 
59,  and  by  hand  at  151.  A  few  mines  did  not  report  hoisting- 
methods.  At  a  few  mines  hoisting  at  the  present  time  is  done 
by  electricity. 

Hoisting  speed  is  remarkable  in  the  mines  of  large  pro- 
duction. In  District  VII  at  the  No.  3  mine  of  the  Superior 
Coal  Company  at  Gillespie,  where  the  bottom  of  the  shaft 
is  346  feet  below  the  dumping  shoes  in  the  tipple,  5,195 
tons  were  hoisted  in  eight  hours  on  June  3,  1915.  At  this 
mine  the  daily  tonnage  for  a  month  was  4530.  In  Mine 
No.  1  of  the  New  Staunton  Coal  Company  at  Livingston  1673 
hoists  in  eight  hours  were  made  through  a  shaft  287  feet 
deep,  an  average  of  3.48  hoists  per  minute.  From  July  1, 
1914  to  April  30,  1915,  the  number  of  tons  hoisted  daily  at  this 
mine  averaged  4514. 

Automatic  caging  is  provided  for  in  nearly  all  of  the 
largest  mines  but  there  are  some  large  mines  where  caging 
is  done  by  hand. 

Shaft  bottoms  often  are  too  short  and  have  not  sufficient 
storage  space  for  loads  and  empties  to  provide  for  hoisting 
very  long  after  an  accidental  interruption  of  haulage. 

The  standard  self -dumping  cage  is  in  common  use  except 
in  District  I  where  there  are  many  platform  cages  often  de- 
signed to  hold  two  pit  cars  tandem.  At  one  mine  in  this  dis- 
trict and  at  two  in  District  II  an  adaptation  of  ore  skip  is  used 
which  was  designed  by  Mr.  Robert  E.  Lee.  Pit  cars  from 
the  face  on  reaching  the  shaft  bottom  have  their  contents 
dumped,  as  shown  in  fig.  60,  into  a  two-compartment  hopper  9 
feet  deep  lying  below  the  floor.  Each  compartment  of  the 
hopper  has  a  capacity  of  two  pit  cars  and  automatically  dis- 
charges its  contents  into  the  skip.  The  skip  is  provided  with 
a  vertically-sliding  door  which  is  automatically  lifted  into  the 
tipple  discharging  the  contents  of  the  skip  on  to  the  screens. 

(191) 


192 


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The  skip  can  be  adjusted  to  hoist  men.  Weighing  is  done  at 
the  bottom.  In  the  larger  mines  of  District  I  the  steam  ram 
and  transfer  table  are  used  in  the  tipple. 


Fig.  60.     Hopper  for  receiving  coal  at  bottom  of  shaft 

A  skip  is  also  used  at  one  mine  in  District  VI.  Here  the 
shaft  was  sunk  33  feet  below  the  bottom  of  the  coal.  A  bin 
was  then  built  with  its  sloping  bottom  extending  from  beyond 
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cam  between  the  rails.  The  coal  from  the  bin  discharges  into 
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4  by  7  feet,  for  hoisting  men  by  cages.  Weighing  is  done  at 
the  shaft  bottom  of  this  mine.  On  account  of  the  great 
weight  of  skip  and  load  the  hoisting  engine  is  second  motion. 

The  Peabody  Coal  Company  at  Nokomis  has  self -dump- 
ing cages  holding  two  cars  side  by  side. 

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mines.  At  these,  signalling  from  shaft  bottom  to  engine 
room  is  done  by  pulling  a  wire  which  rings  a  bell  in  the  engine 
room. 


HOISTING 


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HOISTING  197 

The  compensating  conical  drum  is  generally  preferred  in 
the  deeper  mines  and  the  first-motion  hoisting  engine  is  gen- 
eral, the  geared  engine  being  found  only  at  the  old  mines. 
Tables  34,  35,  and  36  give  different  hoisting  data  for  mines 
of  different  daily  tonnage.  Tonnage  is  the  chief  factor  in 
determining  equipment  for  hoisting  because  at  the  deepest 
mine  in  Illinois  the  hoist  is  only  1004  feet. 

At  slope  mines  hoisting  is  often  done  by  a  partly  balanced 
rope  on  a  two-track  incline  where  the  weight  of  the  descend- 
ing empties  assists  in  hoisting  the  loaded  cars. 

The  State  Mining  Law  by  a  provision  passed  in  1913 
specified  that  all  shafts  sunk  subsequent  to  the  passage  of  the 
law  shall  be  hreproofed.  Since  1913  one  or  two  shallow  ma- 
sonry-lined shafts  have  been  sunk  but  nearly  all  new  shafts 
are  lined  with  concrete.  One  of  the  earliest  concrete-lined 
shafts  built  in  this  country  is  at  the  No.  6  mine  of  the  Big- 
Four  Wilmington  Coal  Company  at  Coal  City.  Two  circular 
shafts  were  sunk,  one  of  which,  the  air  shaft,  10  feet  in  diame- 
ter, was  finished  in  May,  190.').  The  hoisting  shaft,  13  feet  in 
diameter,  as  shown  in  lig.  61,  was  completed  in  June,  1903. 
Both  of  these  shafts  were  lined  with  concrete  14  inches  thick 
from  rock  40  feet  deep  to  a  point  8  feet  above  the  surface 
level,  making  a  total  of  48  linear  feet  of  concrete  lining.  Pig. 
62  shows  the  plan  and  section  of  a  hoisting  shaft  in  District 
V.  The  excavation  was  made  through  the  top  soil  and  sand- 
stone and  the  lining  was  built  up  from  the  bottom  beginning 
with  the  water  seal  at  solid  rock.  The  concrete  is  reinforced 
vertically  with  %-inch  by  2-inch  iron  bars  and  horizontally 
by  3/4-inch  twisted  rods.  The  proportions  of  the  concrete 
used  are:  1  Portland  cement;  2  sharp  washed  sand;  4  crushed 
limestone.  The  linings  of  both  shafts  were  built  with  great 
care  and  are  excellent  examples  of  fireproof  shaft  construc- 
tion under  the  new  State  law.  Below  the  concrete  the  shafts 
are  limestone  except  the  last  91  feet  which  is  gray  shale. 
The  buntons  below  the  seal  are  placed  in  hitches  cut  in  the 
rock.  The  yellow  pine  guides  are  made  up  to  (>  by  8  inches. 
Where  the  shaft  at  a  depth  of  100  feet  from  the  surface  passes 
through  bed  7  it  is  bricked  by  a  wall  9  feet  high  and  12  inches 
thick. 


198 


COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


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COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


With  but  few  exceptions  the  shafts  sunk  prior  to  1913  are 
timber  lined.  The  development  of  the  cement  gun  has  pro- 
vided a  means  of  fireproofing  these  shafts.  The  timber  lining- 
can  be  given  a  concrete  cover  by  means  of  the  cement  gun 
which  sprays  under  air  pressure  of  about  40  pounds  per 
square  inch  a  cement  mortar  composed  of  about  1  part  Port- 
land cement  and  3  parts  coarse  sharp  sand.  At  a  shaft  in 
District  VI  the  timber  lining  was  covered  with  a  2-inch  layer 
of  "Gunite",  as  concrete  applied  by  this  method  is  called,  at 
the  rate  of  190  square  yards  in  8  hours.  The  walls  of  the 
shaft  were  first  covered  with  American  Steel  and  Wire  Com- 
pany's No.  7A  netting  as  a  reinforcement  for  the  concrete. 


Fig.  61.     Circular  hoisting  shaft 

Gunite  sets  in  2%  to  3  hours.  The  cost  of  application  varies 
from  16  to  24  cents  per  square  foot  depending  largely  upon 
the  amount  of  water  the  shaft  makes.  With  a  dry  and 
smooth  timber  lining  the  work  should  average  about  20  cents 
per  square  foot. 

The  shafts  of  all  mines  in  Illinois  are  of  moderate  size, 
the  largest  at  the  mines  examined  being  11  by  22  feet.  No 
serious  difficulties  have  been  encountered  in  sinking  them. 
Water  flow  has  never  been  large.  At  one  mine  in  District  VI 
a  considerable  body  of  quicksand  necessitated  a  reduction  of 
shaft  size  but  in  general  shaft  sinking  is  comparatively  cheap 
and  speedy. 


Coping 


Fig.  62.     Plan  and  section  of  concrete-lined   shaft 


PREPARATION  OF  COAL 

About  20  per  cent  of  the  production  of  Illinois  mines  is 
sold  as  run-of-mine  coal.  This  coal  on  reaching  the  tipple  is 
dumped  into  chutes  and  loaded  directly  into  cars  without  re- 
ceiving any  preparation.  The  remaining  80  per  cent  of  the 
output  receives  treatment  before  shipment.  Fig.  63  shows 
the  equipment  for  preparation  at  a  local  mine.  As  regards 
the  preparation  of  their  coal  for  market  the  mines  of  the 
State  may  be  divided  into  those  at  which  the  raw  coal  is  sized 
on  shaking  screens  only;  those  at  which  the  product  passing 
through  the  2  to  S^-inch  holes  of  the  shaking  screens  is  re- 
screened  in  revolving  screens;  and  those  at  which  the  coal 
under  3  or  3%-inches  is  washed. 

At  mines  where  the  coal  receives  no  further  treatment 
than  separation  into  sizes  on  shaking  screens  four  sizes  are 
usually  made  at  a  time.  These  sizes  vary  widely  in  different 
districts  and  at  different  times  of  the  year.  They  are  called 
generally  lump,  egg,  nut,  and  screenings  but  the  same  term 
does  not  mean  the  same  size  in  different  districts.  The  coal 
which  passes  over  the  largest  sized  holes  in  the  screen  is 
called  lump  whether  the  holes  are  l1/^  inches,  6  inches,  or  any 
intermediate  size.  Table  37  gives  the  variations  in  names 
and  sizes.  Six-inch  lump  is  made  in  all  districts  and  refers 
always  to  the  oversize  from  screens  with  6-inch  holes. 

Where  the  coal  is  rescreened  but  not  washed  a  typical 
separation  is:1 


Per  cent  of 

Name 

Size  in  inches 

total  output 

Lump 

Over  6 

15 

Egg 

Over  3l/2 ;  through  6 

19 

No.  1  nut 

Over  1^4 ;  through  d>y2 

16 

No.  2  nut 

Over  1     ;  through  1^4 

15 

No.  3  nut 

Over     Y$  ;  through  1 

7 

No.  4  nut 

Over     Y^ ;  through     24 

7 

No.  5  nut 

Through  ^ 

21 

At  different  mines  and  in  different  districts  sizes  vary 
somewhat  but  those  given  in  the  table  may  be  taken  as  aver- 
age.   A  bulletin  dealing  with  the  dry  sizing  of  coal  has  been 

(202) 


PREPARATION    OF    COAL 


203 


prepared  for  the  Engineering  Experiment  Station  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Illinois  by  Prof.  E.  A.  Holbrook  and  will  soon  be 
published. 


Table  37.- 

-Sizes  of  coal  made 

in  Illinois 

Name 

District 

Size  in  inches 

8-inch  lump 

IV 

Over  8 

6-inch  lump 

I,  II.  Ill, 

IV,  V,  VI, 
VII,  VIII 

Over  6 

4-inch  lump 

VIII 

Over  4 

3-inch  lump 

IV,  VIII 

Over  3 

2^4-inch  lump 

II 

Over  2YA 

2-inch  lump 

III,  IV,  VII 

Over  2 

1^-inch  lump 

I,  II 

Over  V/2 

1J4  -inch  lump 

I,  II,  III, 

IV,  V,  VI, 
VII,  VIII 

I 

Over  \% 

Chunk 

Through  6;  over  2>y2 

Egg 

I,  II,  III, 

IV,  V 

Over  4;  through  6 

Over  3;  through  6 
Over  2;  through  6 
Over  \%  ;  through  6 

Nut 

II,  III,  IV, 
V,  VI,  VII 

Over  2;  through  3 
Over  \]/2;  through  3 
Over  1*4 ;  through  3 
Over  1*4;  through  2 
Over  V/g;  through  V/2 
Over  24;  through  \y2 
Over  ^4;  through  \y 
Over  ]4;  through  1% 

Pea 

III 

Over  y;  through  1*4 

Screenings 

I,  II,  III,  IV,  V, 
VI,  VII,  VIII 

Through  2y 
Through  2 
Through  V/2 
Through  \y 
Over  1 ;  through  1^4 
Through  \l/% 

F.  C.  Lincoln  in  Bulletin  No.  69,  Coal  Washing  in  Illinois, 
Engineering  Experiment  Station,  University  of  Illinois,  says 


204 


COAL    MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


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Fig.  63.     Equipment   for  preparation  at  local  mine.      (From  unpublished  report 
by  Prof.  E.  A.  Holbrook.) 

that  no  two  washeries  in  Illinois  make  washed  coals  of  exactly 
the  same  sizes.     The  range  in  inches  is  as  follows : 

No.   1       No.    1       No.   2       No.   2       No.   3       No.   4     No.   5 
extra  extra 


Always  under. 
Always  over  . 


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The  impurities  in  the  coal  which  are  shale,  fireclay,  and 
nodules  of  pyrites,  are  separated  as  far  as  possible  at  the 
face.  Where  fireclay  is  shot  up  with  the  coal  the  separation 
underground  is  comparatively  easy  on  account  of  the  contrast 
in  color.  A  further  picking  is  made  at  many  mines  on  the 
screen  and  car ;  six  pickers  being  employed  at  some  mines. 


Fig.  64.     Tipple  designed  for  local  trade  and  shipping 


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PREPARATION    OF    COAL 


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PREPARATION    OF    COAL 


207 


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208 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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PREPARATION    OF    COAL 


209 


sail 

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210  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Shaking  screens  are  of  various  types.  They  are  built 
with  one,  two,  or  three  decks,  and  are  from  12  to  75  feet  long 
and  4  to  12  feet  wide.  They  make  from  48  to  120  strokes  per 
minute.     Their  inclination  averages  4  inches  per  foot. 

Revolving  screens  in  rescreeners  vary  in  length  from  16 
to  24  feet,  in  diameter  from  2y2  to  6  feet,  and  in  inclination 
from  1%  to  214  inches  per  foot.  They  average  15  revolutions 
per  minute. 

District  IV  was  among  the  first  in  Illinois  to  attempt  to 
remove  the  separable  impurities  from  coal  and  to  separate 
sizes.  Several  large  cities  are  located  in  the  district  and  the 
local  trade  for  domestic  purposes  has  always  been  and  still  is 
a  prominent  factor.  Fig.  64  shows  a  tipple  designed  for 
handling  local  trade  and  shipping.  Those  mines  located 
in  or  near  cities  naturally  separate  the  coal  into  more  sizes 
than  the  others  and  for  this  purpose  several  of  them  have 
installed  rescreening  plants.  A  typical  separation  at  a  mine 
catering  to  local  domestic  or  " wagon' '  trade  is: 

N'ame  Size  in  inches 

6-inch  lump  Over  6 

3-inch  lump  Over  3 

1*4 -inch  railroad  lump  Over  \% 

6-inch  egg  Over  3 ;  through  6 

Nut  Over  2;  through  3 

Pea  Over  24;  through  X% 

Screenings  Through  Yi, 

The  location  of  some  mines  near  cities  having  diversified 
manufactures  and  various  kinds  of  domestic  furnaces  leads  to 
particular  demands.  At  one  mine  30  per  cent  of  the  output 
is  crushed  to  2-inch  size  for  use  in  distilleries.  At  another, 
8-inch  lump  and  egg  are  in  demand.  Several  mines  make  a 
nut  through  1*4  inches  and  over  1  inch  and  one  makes  a  "  do- 
mestic lump"  over  3  inches. 

In  District  VIII  in  seam  7  where  iron  pyrites  or  "sul- 
phur" is  not  disseminated  through  the  coal  but  is  present  in 
nodular  form,  it  can  easily  be  separated  from  the  coal  by 
hand  at  the  working  face.  This  separation  serves  the  double 
purpose  of  making  cleaner  coal  and  of  segregating  a  valuable 
by-product.  The  amount  of  pyrites  thus  obtained  was  suffi- 
cient at  two  mines  working  in  No.  7  bed  to  warrant  the  erec- 


PREPARATION    OF    COAL 


211 


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COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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PREPARATION    OF    COAL  213 

tion  of  small  plants  for  removing  before  the  pyrites  is  ship- 
ped to  a  sulphuric-acid  plant  the  coal  that  adheres  to  the  nod- 
nles  of  pyrites.  The  pyrites  with  adhering  coal  is  crushed 
to  l^-inch  mesh  and  elevated  to  a  bin  whence  it  is  discharged 
into  a  revolving  trommel  4  feet  long  and  3  feet  in  diameter 
with  2-inch  round  holes.  The  oversize  from  this  trommel 
goes  to  a  one-cell  jig  for  washing.  The  undersize  goes  to  a 
second  trommel  with  14-inch  perforations  and  the  undersize 
from  the  second  trommel  is  discharged  into  a  three-cell  jig 
which  separates  coal  and  pyrites.  The  oversize  from  the  sec- 
ond trommel  and  the  undersize  from  the  first  trommel  are 
elevated  to  a  third  trommel  with  %-inch  perforations  from 
which  the  oversize  goes  to  market  and  the  undersize  to  the 
three-cell  jig  which  cleans  the  fine  pyrites.  Table  38  gives 
data  on  tipple  equipment  for  coal  preparation. 


Fig.  65.     Inflammable  material  piled  against  frame  tipple 

Power  at  surface  plants  is  usually  obtained  by  burning 
slack  under  steam  boilers.  The  efficiency  of  nearly  all  of 
these  plants  is  low.  At  only  a  few  mines  has  the  steam  plant 
the  refinements  of  the  mode  111  manufacturing  plant.  From 
1.7  to  4.3  per  cent  of  the  output  of  each  mine  is  burned  under 
boilers  at  the  surface  plant.  Wasted  coal  ranges  from  0.5  to 
0.7  per  cent. 

In  District  IV  good  combustion  under  boilers  is  obtained 
at  one  mine  by  the  use  of  steam  blowers  and  the  slack  burns 
with  no  clinkers. 

Electric  power  is  purchased  at  a  few  mines  and  at  one 
where  power  is  purchased  at  2y2  cents  per  kilowatt-hour, 
three-phase  60-cycle  alternating  current  is  brought  to  the 
plant  at  4000  volts  and  there  transformed  to  275  volts.  The 
installation  consists  of  three  15  II.  P.  motors.  An  A.  C.  elec- 
tric locomotive  is  used  on  the  main  haulage.     Alternating 


214 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


current  is  reported  to  be  less  satisfactory  for  haulage  than 
direct,  but  by  using  an  A.  C.  locomotive  a  converter  is  dis- 
pensed with. 


— — ~--~~- — |  S"S'*  „ "'"  *|Plf 


Fig.  66.     Fireproof  steel  tipple 

At  the  older  mines  tipples  are  usually  of  frame  construc- 
tion and  at  many  of  them  proper  precautions  against  lire  are 
neglected.  Often  inflammable  material,  such  as  empty  oil 
barrels  shown  in  fig.  65,  is  stored  near  the  tipple.  The  fre- 
quent loss  of  tipples  by  fire  emphasizes  the  need  of  greater 
care  in  the  storing  of  combustible  material  on  the  surface. 

At  almost  every  new  mine  a  steel  tipple  is  built.  Fig.  66 
shows  a  typical  modern  surface  plant  in  District  VI.  Tables 
39,  40,  and  41  give  power  plant  equipment  for  mines  of  differ- 
ent daily  outputs. 

The  average  cost  of  preparation  where  the  coal  is  neither 
rescreened  nor  washed  is  said  by  Mr.  B.  L.  Shepard  to  be 
3  cents  per  ton  of  coal. 


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PREPARATION"    OF    COAL 


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216 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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Pressure 
in  pounds 
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daily 
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Averages  by 
districts 

II 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 

Average  of  28 
mines 

PREPARATION    OF    COAL 


21 


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tonnage 

2,450 
2.700 
2,400 

8 

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cm" 

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MARKETS  AND  SELLING  PRICE 

The  opening  in  the  early  nineties  of  the  rich  fields  in 
southern  Illinois  east  of  the  Duqnoin  anticline  was  a  most 
important  economic  factor,  and  a  disturbing  one  to  the  other 
fields.  The  causes  of  the  low  market  prices  which  have  pre- 
vailed for  several  years  are  well  cataloged  by  Mr.  Geo.  S. 
Rice,  Chief  Mining  Engineer  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  in 
the  Year  Book  for  1908  of  the  Illinois  Geological  Survey.  Mr. 
Rice  says,  ' '  The  tremendous  development  of  the  coal-carrying 
railroads  and  the  policy  of  making  low  ton-mile  rates  for  long 
hauls  has  resulted  in  excessive  competition,  both  from  within 
and  from  without  the  State.  The  cheaply  produced  coals  of 
the  eastern  states,  and  particularly  West  Virginia,  resulting 
from  favorable  natural  conditions  and  lower  labor-cost,  with 
through  low  freight-rates,  have  enabled  them  to  enter  the 
natural  coal  markets  of  Illinois  and  sell  at  prices  very  little 
above  what  the  Illinois  coals  bring.  The  high  quality  of  these 
coals,  particularly  those  that  make  little  smoke,  has  allowed 
them  to  set  the  pace  in  making  prices. 

The  competition  between  the  Illinois  coals  has  been  even 
more  severe.  This  results  from  the  multiplicity  of  owner- 
ships, due  mainly  to  the  ease  of  opening  new  mines.  Each 
period  of  unusual  prosperity  in  the  western  coal  business,  like 
that  at  the  time  of  the  anthracite  strike,  is  followed  by  an  im- 
mense increase  in  capacity.  For  example:  in  1906  and  1907 
railroad  shipping  mines  operated  an  average  of  190  and  195 
days,  during  the  respective  years,  out  of  300  working  days ;  in 
other  words,  only  63  and  65  per  cent  of  the  time.  To  a  cer- 
tain extent  this  is  unavoidable,  as  the  markets  are  in  a  climate 
of  extreme  cold  in  winter,  and  as  the  Illinois  coal  stocks  very 
indifferently,  the  winter  demand  tends  to  fix  the  capacity. 
This,  in  turn,  makes  the  labor-rates  high,  to  cover  the  period 
of  idleness.  On  the  other  hand,  it  makes  severe  competition 
during  the  spring  and  summer  months,  in  the  effort  of  each 
operator  to  keep  his  mine  running  as  much  as  possible.' ' 


(219) 


220  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

The  markets  for  Illinois  coal  in  1907  were  defined  by  Mr. 
H.  Foster  Bain  in  the  same  volume  as  follows : 

"Practically  no  Illinois  coal  moves  eastward.  This  is 
due  not  only  to  competition  based  on  the  quality  of  the  eastern 
coals,  but  to  the  present  organization  of  freight  traffic,  which 
makes  it  difficult  to  get  cars.  Such  coal  as  goes  east  from  this 
coal  field  is  supplied  by  Indiana.  To  the  west,  Illinois  coal 
dominates  the  markets  of  Missouri  and  Iowa  almost  to  the 
eastern  margin  of  their  own  coal  fields,  and  has  a  scattering 
trade  beyond.  To  the  southwest,  coal  is  furnished  to  the  rail- 
ways to  a  point  about  half  way  between  St.  Louis  and  Kansas 
City,  and  to  a  few  supply  stations  beyond.  Directly  south, 
there  is  very  little  coal  movement  except  to  supply  certain 
connecting  railways.  The  larger  markets  are  dominated  by 
eastern  coal  shipped  by  river,  a  traffic  practically  closed  to 
Illinois  operators  for  the  present,  owing  to  lack  of  terminals 
within  the  State,  and  the  poor  stocking-qualities  of  the  coal. 
To  all  intents  and  purposes  the  only  Illinois  coal  delivered  to 
the  rivers  is  that  used  by  the  local  steamboats. 

To  the  north  and  west,  the  coal  goes  in  large  quantities 
into  southwestern  Wisconsin,  northern  Iowa,  southern  Minne- 
sota, and  eastern  South  Dakota.  On  the  one  hand  it  must 
meet  the  competition  of  the  nearer  Iowa  fields,  and  on  the 
other,  of  the  lake-shipped  eastern  coal.  The  coal  of  this  lake 
trade  may  be  illustrated  by  the  figures  for  1907. 

Lake  Shipments  of  Coal  in  1907 

Tons 

Western  Pennsylvania  coal 8,306,143 

Ohio  coal 3,703,322 

West  Virginia  coal 3,343,752 

Total    13,353,217 

The  lake  coal  dominates  the  market  as  far  south  as  Mil- 
waukee, and  it  is  only  of  recent  years  that  Illinois  coal  has 
begun  to  go  in  any  quantity  as  far  northwest  as  St.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis.  In  the  territory  between  these  points  there  is 
much  debatable  ground,  and  if  methods  of  storage  can  be 
devised  so  that  coal  may  be  shipped  in  the  summer,  large  in- 
creases in  trade  may  be  looked  for.  The  same  is  true  of 
western  Iowa  and  eastern  Nebraska,  where  at  present  there 


MARKETS    AND    SELLING    PRICE 


221 


is  only  a  moderate  trade.  If,  in  addition  to  finding  a  solution 
of  the  storage  problem,  water  transportation  be  made  avail- 
able, Illinois  coal  may  become  a  dominant  factor  in  the  North- 
west. It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  this  is  far  from 
being  accomplished,  and  for  the  present,  in  extending  the 
markets,  reliance  must  be  placed  mainly  on  a  campaign  of 
education  in  the  proper  burning  of  high  volatile  coals. ' ' 


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Fig.  67.     Graph  showing  decline  of  margin  of  profit 


MS 


At  the  present  time  about  4  per  cent  of  the  production  is 
consumed  or  wasted  at  the  plant,  4  per  cent  is  sold  at  the 
mines  to  local  trade,  18  per  cent  is  sold  to  the  railroads  of 
which  1.1  is  Loaded  into  locomotives  at  the  mines  and 
74  per  cent  is  shipped  to  other  consumers.  Chicago  consumes 
about  14  per  cent  of  the  production  of  the  State ;  East  St. 
Louis  and  St.  Louis  10  per  cent;  and  other  shipping  points 
within  the  State  20  per  cent. 


222  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Including  East  St.  Louis  and  St.  Louis  which  cannot  be 
segregated,  Illinois  absorbs  about  50  per  cent  of  her  own  pro- 
duction. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Boyd,  Secretary  of  the  Illinois-Indiana  Traffic 
Association  has  courteously  supplied  the  following  figures 
for  tonnage  hauled  by  the  railroads  of  the  association  to  var- 
ious destinations  for  the  year  ended  March  31,  1915 : 

Destinations  Tons 

Little  Rock,  Ark 2,099 

Arkansas  (except  Little  Rock) 148,471 

Chicago,  111.,  Group 8,358,836 

Peoria,  111 465,445 

St.  Louis  and  E.  St.  Louis 5,645,557 

Illinois  (except  Chicago  Group,  Peoria  and  E.  St.  Louis) 7,993,786 

Ft.  Wayne,  Ind 9,626 

Gas  Belt  Points 54,551 

So.  Bend,  Ind 62,166 

Indianapolis,   Ind 15,027 

Indiana  (except  So.  Bend,  Ft.  Wavne,  Gas  Belt  Points  and  Indianap- 
olis)      851,282 

Council  Bluffs,  Omaha  and  So.  Omaha 124,972 

Des  Moines,  la 29,533 

Sioux  City,  la 89,443 

Dubuque,  la 86,050 

Iowa  (except  Council  Bluffs,  Des  Moines,  Sioux  City  and  Dubuque)  2,430,551 

Atchison  and  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  and  St.  Joseph,  Mo 73,067 

Kansas   (except  Atchison  and  Leavenworth) 381,499 

Louisiana    200,163 

Michigan    224,029 

Minneapolis,  Minnesota  Transfer,  St.  Paul  and  So.  St.  Paul,  Minn...  198,736 
Minnesota  (except  So.  St.  Paul,  Minn.  Transfer,  St.  Paul  and  Minne- 
apolis)       381,404 

Mississippi   106,705 

Kansas  City,  Mo.. 49,202 

Missouri  (except  St.  Joseph,  Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis) 2,297,561 

Lincoln,  Neb 27,249 

Nebraska  (except  So.  Omaha  and  Lincoln) 266,227 

North  Dakota  4,370 

Sioux  Falls,  So.  Dak 16,308 

South  Dakota  (except  Sioux  Falls) 75,833 

Memphis,  Tenn 44,631 

Tennessee    (except    Memphis) 32,843 

Milwaukee,  Wis 33,262 

Wisconsin    (except    Milwaukee) 586,817 

States  other  than  foregoing 35,225 

Total  31,402,526 

Of  the  tonnage  hauled  by  the  association  as  given  by 
these  figures  about  3  per  cent  is  destined  for  Indiana,  8  per 
cent  for  Missouri  and  8  per  cent  for  Iowa. 


MARKETS    AND    SELLING    PRICE 


223 


The  decline  of  the  margin  of  profit  per  ton  of  coal  mined 
in  Illinois  since  1870  is  shown  graphically  in  fig.  67.  This 
graph  was  compiled  from  statistics  taken  from  the  Reports 
of  the  U.  S.  Census,  the  Reports  of  the  Illinois  Bureau  of 
Labor  Statistics  and  the  Coal  Reports  of  Illinois. 

Table  42. — Capitalization  of  coal  mines1 


Year 

Production  in 

Capitalization 

Capital  per  ton 
of  coal  produced 

tons 

(dollars) 

annually  (dollars) 

1870 

2,624,163 

4,286,575 

1.63 

1880 

6,115,377 

10,654,261 

1.74 

1885 

11,834,459 

9,898,950 

0.84 

1889 

12,104,272 

17,630,351 

1.45 

1909 

50,904,990 

60,426,629 

1.19 

1  Compiled  from  Reports  of  the  U.  S.   Census. 

The  capital  required  to  finance  coal  mining  operations  in 
Illinois  cannot  be  estimated  with  accuracy  because  no  precise 
returns  have  been  made  to  State  or  Federal  bureaus.  Table 
42  is  compiled  from  such  statistics  as  are  available  in  the 
sources  mentioned  in  the  preceeding  paragraph.  From  this 
table  the  conclusion  is  reached  that  recent  operations  have 
been  financed  on  the  basis  of  approximately  one  dollar  and 
twenty  cents  per  ton  of  annual  production.  The  promotion 
of  mining  companies  has  often  been  more  profitable  than  the 
operation  of  the  mines. 

The  coal  mines  of  the  State  in  1914  were  afforded  trans- 
portation facilities  by  counties  by  the  following  railroads  r1 

Bond  County:  Vandalia;  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy. 
Bureau  County:  Chicago  &  Northwestern;  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific;  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul;  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy.  Christian  County:  Wabash;  Illinois 
Central;  Chicago  &  Illinois  Midland;  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Illinois;  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis;  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Southwestern.  Clinton  County:  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Southwestern;  Southern.     Franklin  County:     Chicago, 


•Compiled   from  Thirty-third   Annual   Coal   Report  of   Illinois. 


224  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Burlington  &  Quincy;  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois;  Illinois 
Central;  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  &  Southern.  Fulton 
County:  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy;  Minneapolis  &  St. 
Louis;  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western.  Gallatin  County:  Louis- 
ville &  Nashville.  Grundy  County:  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern; 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe;  Chicago  &  Alton.  Jackson 
County:  Illinois  Central;  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  &  South- 
ern; Mobile  &  Ohio.  Jefferson  County:  Chicago  &  Eastern 
Illinois ;  Louisville  &  Nashville.  La  Salle  County:  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy;  Illinois  Central;  Chicago  &  Alton; 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul ;  Chicago,  Indiana  &  Southern ; 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific;  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe;  Wabash;  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis. 
Livingston  County:  Topeka,  Peoria  &  Western;  Chicago  & 
Alton;  Illinois  Central.  Logan  County:  Illinois  Central; 
Chicago  &  Alton.  Macon  County:  Wabash;  Illinois  Central; 
Vandalia;  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton.  Macoupin  County: 
St.  Louis,  Peoria  &  Northwestern;  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy ;  Chicago  &  Alton ;  Chicago  &  Northwestern.  Madison 
County:  St.  Louis,  Troy  &  Eastern;  Litchfield  &  Madison; 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis;  Vandalia;  Chi- 
cago &  Eastern  Illinois;  Wabash;  Illinois  Traction  System; 
Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western;  Illinois  Terminal.  Marion 
County:  Illinois  Central;  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy; 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern.  Marshall  County:  Illinois 
Central ;  Chicago  &  Alton ;  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe ; 
Chicago,  Rock  Island,  &  Pacific.  McLean  County:  Illinois 
Central.  Menard  County:  Chicago  &  Alton ;  Chicago,  Peoria 
&  St.  Louis.  Mercer  County:  Rock  Island  Southern;  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific.  Montgomery  County:  Chicago 
&  Eastern  Illinois;  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St. 
Louis ;  Toledo,  St.  Louis  &  Western ;  Illinois  Central.  Moul- 
trie County:  Wabash;  Vandalia.  Perry  County:  Illinois 
Central ;  Mobile  &  Ohio ;  Wabash,  Chester  &  Western.  Peoria 
County:  Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis;  Peoria  &  Pekin  Union; 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy;  Peoria  Railway  Terminal; 
Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western.  Putnam  County:  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul.  Randolph  County:  Illinois  Central;  Mo- 
bile &  Ohio;  Illinois  Southern.     Saline  County:     Cleveland, 


MARKETS    AND    SELLING    PRICE  225 

Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Lonis;  Illinois  Central;  Louisville 
&  Nashville.  Sangamon  County:  Chicago  &  Alton;  Chi- 
cago &  Illinois  Midland;  Wabash;  Chicago,  Peoria  &  St. 
Louis ;  Illinois  Central ;  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton ;  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy;  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern; 
Illinois  Traction  System;  Chicago  &  Northwestern.  Shelby 
County:  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis;  Illinois 
Central;  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern.  Stark  County: 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy.  St.  Clair  County:  St.  Louis  & 
0 'Fallon;  Illinois  Central;  Vandalia;  East  St.  Louis  and 
Suburban ;  Louisville  &  Nashville ;  St.  Louis  &  Belleville ; 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern;  Southern;  Mobile  and  Ohio. 
Tazewell  County:  Peoria  &  Pekin  Union;  Cleveland,  Cincin- 
nati, Chicago  &  St.  Louis ;  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe ;  Lake 
Erie  &  Western.  Vermilion  County:  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illi- 
nois; Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis;  Illinois  Trac- 
tion System;  Wabash.  Washington  County:  Illinois  Central ; 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy:  Louisville  &  Nashville;  Illinois 
Southern.  White  County:  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Southwestern; 
Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis.  Will  County: 
Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern;  Chicago  &  Alton.  WUlianison 
County:  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  &  Southern:  Illinois  Cen- 
tral; Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy;  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illin- 
ois; Coal  Belt.  Woodford  County.  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe;  Illinois  Central. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

ABBREVIATIONS  USED  IN  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Amer.  Inst.  C.  E.  Trans. — Transactions  of  American  Institute  of  Civil  En- 
gineers. 

Amer.  Inst.  Min.  Engr.  Trans. — Transactions  of  American  Institute  of  Min- 
ing Engineers. 

Amer.  Jour.  Sci. — American  Journal  of  Science. 

Assn.  Engrs.  Soc.  Jour. — Journal  of  the  Association  of  Engineering  Societies. 

Blk.  Diam. — Black  Diamond. 

Coal  and  Coke  Opr. — Coal  and  Coke  Operator. 

Coal  and  Gas  Opr. — Coal  and  Gas  Operator. 

Coll.  Eng. — Colliery  Engineer. 

Coll.  Guard. — Colliery  Guardian. 

Econ.  Geol.  of  111. — Economic  Geology  of  Illinois. 

Eng.  and  Con. — Engineer  and  Contractor. 

Eng.  Exp.  Station — Engineering  Experiment  Station. 

Eng.  and  Min.  Jour. — Engineering  and  Mining  Journal. 

Eng.  News — Engineering  News. 

111.  Agric.  Dept.  Trans. — Transactions  of  Illinois  Department  of  Agriculture. 

111.  Geol.  Surv. — Illinois  Geological  Survey. 

111.  Soc.  Engrs.  and  Surv.  Annual  Report — Annual  Report  of  the  Illinois 
Society  of  Engineers  and  Surveyors. 

I.  and  C.  Tr.  Rev. — Iron  and  Coal  Trade  Review. 

Min.  and  Engr.  Wld. — Mining  and  Engineering  World. 

Min.  Mag. — The  Mining  Magazine. 

Mines  and  Min. — Mines  and  Minerals. 

State  Agricultural  Soc.  Trans. — Transactions  of  the  State  Society  of  Agriculture. 

U.  S.  Geol.  Sur. — U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

Wash.  Acad.   Sci.  Jour. — Journal  of  the  Washington  Academy  of  Science. 

West.  Soc.  Eng.  Jour. — Journal  of  the  Western  Society  of  Engineers. 

GENERAL 

(This   bibliography   was   prepared   in   co-operation    with    the    Library    School    of   the 
University  of  Illinois. 

1674 
Joliet's  map.     Copy  in  A  History  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  Spears  and  Clark 

1680 
La  Salle's  letter  to  Frontenac,  Margry,  Vol.  I,  p.  465. 

1681 
Recueil  de  Voyages,  Marquette. 

1689 
A  New   Discovery  of  a  Large  Country  in  America,  Hennepin. 

(226) 


BIBLIOGEAPHY  227 

1720 
Charlevoix's  Journal.  Margry,  Vol.  VI,  p.  521-538. 

1766 
Travels  through  the  Interior  Parts  of  North  America,  J.  Carver,  Esq. 

1773 
Journal  of  an  Expedition  from  Kaskaskias  Village,  Patrick  Kennedy.  (Included 
in  Thomas  Hutchins,  Hicks). 

1797 
American  Gazetteer,  Morse. 

1820 
Journal  of  Travels,  Schoolcraft. 

1823 
A  Gazetteer  of  the  States  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  Beck. 

1834 
A  View  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  Tanner. 
Geological  Report,   Featherstonhaugh.     Journal  of  Franklin   Institute,   17:109. 

1836 
Notice  of  coal  mines  in  Illinois.    Journal  of  Franklin  Institute.     17:375. 
New  Guide  for  Emigrants  in  the  West,  Peck. 

1837 
Illinois  in  1837  &  8,  Mitchell. 

1838 
Geology  of  upper  Illinois,  C.  W.  Shepard.     Amer.  Jour.  Sci.  34:142-57. 
Western  States  Guide  Book,  Colton. 

1840 
Report  to  the  Boston  Association  for  purchasing  Mineral  Property  in  Missouri 
and  Illinois,  Forrest  Shepherd. 

1841 
Illinois  and  Its  Resources.     Hunt's  Merchants'  Magazine.    1841. 
A  Summer  Journey  in  the  West,  Mrs.  Steele. 

1855 
Statistics  of  Coal,  Taylor,  p.  475-477. 

1857 
Abstract  of  a  report  on  Illinois  coals  with  description  and  analyses  and  a  general 

notice  of  the  coal  fields,  by  J.  G.  Norwood.     Chicago,  1857.     Preliminary 

report  for  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey.     Separate. 
Coal  shipped  from  Grundy  County  by  rail.     State  Agricultural  Soc.  Trans.  3:227 


228  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

1858 
Coal  fields  of  the  United   States  and  British  provinces,  H.   D.  Rogers.     In  his 
Geology  of  Pennsylvania  2:959-64,  974-76. 

1862 
Natural  resources  of  Illinois,  C.  D.  Webber.     111.  State  Agricultural  Soc.  Trans. 
1861-4,  p.  644-64. 

1865 
Coal,  lime  and  limestone,  clay  and  brick  in  Grundy  County.     State  Agricultural 
Soc.  Trans.  1865-6,  217-18. 

1866 
Coal,  iron  and  oil,  S.  H.  Daddow  and  Benjamin  Bannon,  p.  363-71. 
Report  on  coal  fields  of  Illinois,  Leo  Lesquereux.    111.  Geol.  Sur.  1 :208-37. 
Stratigraphical  geology,  tertiary  deposits  and  coal  measures,  A.  H.  Worthen.  111. 
Geol  Sur.  1  :40-152.     Econ.  Geol.  of  111.  1 :31-59. 

1867 
Coal  measures  and  lower  carboniferous  limestones,  A.  H.  Worthen.     111.  Geol. 
Sur.  3:1-19. 

1871 
Three-fourths  of  Vermilion  County  underlaid  with  a  good  quality  of  bituminous 
coal.     Amount  of  coal  annually  mined.     111.  Agric.  Dept.  Trans.  9:205. 

1873 
Coal  Regions  of  America,  MacFarlane. 

1874 
The  Wilmington,   Illinois  coal  fields,  Jasper  Johnson.     Amer.   Inst.  Min.  Engr. 

Trans.  3:188-202. 
The  manufacture  of  coke  from  Illinois  coal.    Amer.  Inst.  C.  E.  Trans.  1874. 

163-166. 

1875 

Brown  coals  of  Utah  and  adjoining  territories,  H.  Engleman.  Am.  Inst.  Min. 
Engrs.  Trans.  4:304-05.  St.  Clair  County  (111.)  coal  compared  to  west- 
ern lignites. 

The  coal  regions  of  America,  their  topography,  geology  and  development,  James 
MacFarlane.  3d  ed.  p.  406-36. 

Coal  measures  and  lower  carboniferous  limestone,  A.  H.  Worthen.  111.  Geol. 
Sur.  6:1-8. 

First  coal  mined  in  Jackson  County,  1910.     111.  Agric.  Dept.  Trans.  13  :201. 

Estimated  amount  of  coal  in  Perry  County  and  value  of  the  same.  111.  Agric. 
Dept.    Trans.  13  :250. 

History  of  East  St.  Louis,  Tyson.     55-59,  66,  111. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  229 

1876 
Coal  washing  in  Illinois,  E.  D.  Meier,  Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.,  22  :88-90. 

1878 
Coals  of  Illinois,  W.   D.  Ruby.     111.  Industrial  Univ.  Trustees  Annual   Report. 

1876-8:185-9. 
Mineral    Resources   of   Illinois,    A.    H.    Worthen.      111.    Dept.    of    Agric.    Trans. 

16:388-99. 


The  coals  of  the  United  States.     U.  S.  Census  Bureau.  10th  census  15:616,  642, 

674,  675. 
Directory  of   bituminous   coal   mines   in   Illinois.      U.    S.    Census   Bureau.      10th 

census  15  :868-80. 
Map  showing  the  quantity  of  coal  mined  in  each  county  during  the  census  year. 

U.  S.  Census  Bureau.     10th  census.    Vol.  15,  plate  XLI. 

1881 

History  of  St.  Clair  County.  MacDonough. 

1882 
Coal  field  of  Illinois,  A.  H.  Worthen.     Econ.  Geol.  of  111.  1:163-77. 

1883 
Mining  interests  of  the  State  now  second  in  importance  only  to  those  of  agri- 
culture.    111.  Geol.  Sur.  7:111. 

1887 
The  fossil   fuels  of  Illinois  and  their  exploitation,  T.  B.  Comstock.     Eng.  and 
Min.  Jour.  44:24,  July  9,  1887. 

1888 

The  coal  fields  of  the  U.  S.,  their  areas  and  product  in  1887  and   1888.     Anicr. 

Inst.  Min.  Engrs.  Trans.  18:124. 
The  "Dauntless"  core  drill.     Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.  46:   193,  Sept.  8,  1888.     Gives 

columnar  section  of  coal  measures  in  drill-hole  at   Saybrook,   111. 

1889 
Heating  power  of  Illinois  coal,  R.  B.  McConney.     Thesis:  Univ.  of  Illinois. 
Fossil  fuels  of  Comstock,   Illinois.     Eng.  and   Min.  Jour.  47:477,  May  25,   188'). 

1894 
Analysis  of  certain  coals  of  Illinois,  F.  W.  Kerchner.     Thesis:  Univ.  of  111. 

1895 
Coals  of  Illinois,  E.  K.  Hiles  and  D.  R.  Llewellyn.     Thesis:  Univ.  of  111. 
Notes  on  mining  engineering  and  economic  resources  of  Illinois     111.  Soc.  Engrs. 
and  Surv.  Annual  Report.     1895. 


230  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

1896 
The  longwall  coal-mining  region  ot  Grundy  County,  111.   Eng.  and  Min.  Jour. 

62:487.    Nov.  21,  1896.    1500w. 
Coal  mining  in  Illinois,  J.  J.  Rutledge.     Mineral  Industry,  4:194. 
The  Braceville  coal  washer,  Illinois.  Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.  62:511. 

1897 
Coals  of  Illinois,  A.  R.  Mann  and  W.  R.  Dull.    Thesis:  Univ.  of  111. 
The  control  of  creeps,  Edward  Jones.     Coll.  Eng.  Oct.  1897.     2000w.     Methods 

of  working  coal  seams  in  northern  Illinois  which  control  creeps  and  avoid 

crushes. 
An  Illinois  machine  coal  mine.     Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.  63:139-41.     Feb.  6,   1897. 

Illustrated  description  of  the  mine,  shaking  screens,  haulage  plant,  main 

entries,  rooms,  roofs  and  machines. 

1889 

An  Illinois  coal  field,  A.  Dinsmore.  Mines  and  Min.  20:106-8.  Oct.,  1899.  Par- 
ticulars in  regard  to  the  formation  of  the  country,  a  history  of  the  develop- 
ment of  the  mines,  and  a  description  of  the  method  of  working  them. 

Improvements  of  the  Spring  Valley  Coal  Mines,  J.  A.  Ede.  Amer.  Inst.  Min. 
Engrs.  Trans.  29:187-209. 

1900 
Coal  mines   at   Streator,  A.   Dinsmore.      Mines  and   Min.  21:145.     5   cols.     An 

interesting  description  of  the  important  coal  fields  and  mines  in  La  Salle 

Co.,  111. 
Danville  folio,  Illinois-Indiana,  M.  R.  Campbell.     U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.     Geol.  Atlas 

of  the  U.  S.    Folio  67,  p.  6-7. 

1901 

Dredging  for  coal  in  Illinois,  H.  H.  Stoek.  Mines  and  Min.  22:5-6.  Aug.,  1901. 
An  illustrated  description  of  the  method  of  mining  in  the  Mission  Field 
Coal  Mine,  111.,  by  use  of  the  steam  shovel  cableway. 

Boiler  tests  with  Illinois  coal,  L.  P.  Breckenridge,  West.  Soc.  Eng.  Jour.  6:230. 

1902 
Coal  fields  of  the  United  States,  C.  W.  Hayes.     U.   S.  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  213,  p. 

258,  261,  268. 
Special  reports,  mines  and  quarries,  1902.    U.  S.  Census  Bureau.     Special  reports, 

1905,  p.  684-5. 
The  coals  of  Illinois,  their  chemical  analysis  and  calorific  value.     A  compilation 

of     accumulated     information     arranged     for     reference.       Technograph 

16:48-58.     1901-2. 

1903 
Burning  Illinois  coal  without  smoke,  L.  P.  Breckenridge.     Eng.  News  49:519-21. 
June  11,  1903. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  231 

Burning  Illinois  coal  without  smoke,  A.  Bement.     Eng.   News  50:59.     July  16, 

1903. 
Recent  work  in  the  coal  field  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  M.  L.  Fuller  and  G.  H. 

Ashley.     U.   S.  Geol.  Sur.   Bull.  213,  p.  284-93. 

1904 
Potoka  folio,  Indiana-Illinois,  M.  L.  Fuller  and  F.  G.  Clapp.     U.  S.  Geol.  Sur. 

Geol.  Atlas  of  the  U.  S.     Folio  105,  p.  7-9. 
The  coals  of   Illinois,   their  composition  and   analysis,    S.   W.   Parr.     Univ.   of 

111.     Univ.  studies,  Vol.  I,  No.  7,  44  p. 

1905 

A  model  Illinois  coal  mining  plant,  C.  H.  Smith.  Min.  and  Eng.  Wld.  Dec. 
23,  1905.  2000  w.  Illustrated  description  of  a  new  mine  plant  at  Clif- 
ford, 111. 

Machine  mining  in  Illinois.    Fuel  7 :  Aug.  7,  1906,  p.  537. 

The  Illinois  coal  field,  G.  S.  Rice.  Min.  Mag.,  March,  1905,  p.  237.  1200  w. 
Gives  location  of  the  deposits,  describing  methods  of  mining. 

1906 
Cannel   coal   in  northern    Illinois,   F.    F.   Grout.      111.    State    Geol.    Sur.    Bull.    4, 

p.   197-98. 
Coals  of  Illinois.    Fuel  8:  Nov.  13,  1906,  p.  54-5. 

The  Delafield  drill  core,  J.  F.  Udden.     111.  State  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  4,  p.  203-11. 
Report  on  the  field   work  in   the  coal  districts   of   the   State.     111.    State   Geol. 

Sur.     Bull.  4,  1906,  p.  201-3.     Bull.  8,  1907,  p.  269-72. 
Anthracosing   of  bituminous   coal,   S.   W.   Parr.     111.    State    Geol.    Sur.   Bull.   4, 

p.  196-97. 
Chemical  analyses  of  certain  coals,    S.  W.  Parr.     111.    State  Geol.    Sur.     Bull. 

4,  p.  188-92. 
Compression  tests  of   Illinois  coal,   A.   N.  Talbot.     111.    State   Geol.   Sur.   Bull. 

4,  p.  198-201. 
Determination   of   moisture  lost   in    air  drying,    F.    F.    Grout.     111.    State   Geol. 

Sur.     Bull.  4,  p.  192-94. 
Fuel    tests    with    Illinois    coals,    L.    P.    Breckenridge,    S.    W.    Parr   and    H.    B. 

Dirks.    Univ.  of  111.  Eng.  Exp.  Station,  Bull.  7:68,  p. 
Moisture   in   air  dried   samples,   F.   W.   Wheeler.     111.    State  Geol.    Sur.     Bull. 

4,  p.  195-96. 
Coal  investigations  in  the  Saline-Gallatin  field,  Illinois  and  the  adjoining  area, 

F.  W.    DeWolf.     111.    State   Geol.    Sur.     Bull.   8,   p.   211-29.     Reprint   of 

U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  316,  1906. 
Coal  investigations  in  Saline  and  Wilmington  counties,  Illinois,  F.  W.  DeWolf. 

111.   State  Geol.   Sur.   Bull.  8,  p.  230-45.     Reprint  U.   S.   Geol.   Sur.   Bull. 

316,  1906. 
The  coals  of  Illinois,  S.  W.  Parr.     Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.  81:86.     1500  w.     Jan. 

13,   1906.     Reports  an  increase  in  the  coal  output,  and  gives  information 

concerning  the  deposits,  their  character,  etc. 


232  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Composition  and  character  of  Illinois  coals,  S.  W.  Parr,  with  chapters  on  the 
distribution  of  the  coal  beds  of  the  State,  A.  Bement  and  tests  of  Illinois 
coals  under  steam  boilers,  by  L.  P.  Breckenridge.  111.  State  Geol.  Sur. 
Bull.  3,  86  p. 

Mine  No.  2,  St.  Louis  and  O'Fallon  Coal  Co.,  Illinois.  Mines  and  Min. 
26:481-4,  June,  1906.  A  description  of  the  equipment  of  a  new  bitumi- 
nous coal  mine  of  large  capacity  near  Belleville,  111. 

A  modern  coal  mine,  M.  F.  Peltier.  Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.  82:1212.  2000  w. 
Dec.  29,  1906.  Illustrated  description  of  the  equipment  and  methods  of 
the  Illinois  Midland  Co.  at  a  plant  near  Springfield. 

The  Peabody  Mines,  southern  Illinois,  R.  S.  Moss.  Min.  and  Eng.  Wld. 
25 :66-67,  July  21,  1906.  A  description  of  the  Carterville  seam  and 
especially  of  the  No.  3  mine  of  the  Peabody  Coal  Co.,  with  illustrations. 

The  Springfield  coal  mine  of  the  Peabody  Coal  Co.  and  method  of  survey,  M. 
F.  Peltier.     Eng.  News.  55:261-62.     Mar.  8,  1906. 

1907 

Defects  in  coal  No.   5  at  Peoria,  J.   A.  Udden.     111.   State  Geol.   Sur.  Bull.  8, 

p.  255-67. 
Alterations    of    the    composition    of    coal    during    ordinary    laboratory    storage, 

S.  W.  Parr  and  W.  F.  Wheeler.     111.  State  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  8,  p.   167-75. 
Artificial    modification    of    the    composition    of    coal,    S.    W.    Parr    and    C.    K. 

Francis.    111.  State  Geol.  Sur.     Bull  8,  p.  176-95. 
Ash   in  coal   and  its  influence   on  value   of   fuel,  A.    Bement.     111.    State   Geol. 

Sur.  Bull.  8,  p.  205-10. 
An   initial   coal   substance   having   a   constant   thermal   value,    S.   W.    Parr   and 

W.  F.  Wheeler.     111.  State  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  8,  p.  154-66. 
Pure  coal  as  a  basis   for  the  comparison  of  bituminous  coals,  W.  F.  Wheeler. 

Amer.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs.  Trans.  38:621-32. 
Weathering  of  coal,    S.  W.   Parr  and   N.   D.   Hamilton.     111.    State   Geol.   Sur. 

Bull.  8,  p.  196-204. 
A  modern  Illinois  coal  plant.     Mines  and  Min.    28 :97-100.    2000  w.     Oct.,  1907. 

An  illustrated  description  of  the  surface   equipment  of   Mine   B.   of  the 

Saline  County  Coal  Co.,  near  Ffarrisburg,  111. 
The  Cardiff  coal  seams  and  plant.     Fuel  9:  May  14,  1907,  p.  49-51. 
Coal  mining  in  eastern  Illinois,  F.  W.  Parsons.     Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.  83:336. 

1400  w.     Feb.   16,   1907.     Illustrated  description  of  details  of  equipment 

and  methods  employed  by  the  Dering  Coal  Co. 
Electric   power   vs.    mules    for   mine    haulage,    M.    B.    Peltier.      Eng.    and    Min. 

Jour.     83:528-30.     Mar.   16,   1907.     Illustrated  description  of  the   electric 

installation  at  the  No.  3  mine  of  the  Peabody  Coal  Co. 
Mine  No.  17,  Collinsville,  Illinois.     Mines  and  Min.  28:16.     1000  w.    Aug.,  1907. 

Illustrates  and  describes  the  plans  and  arrangement  of  a  mine  having  a 

capacity  of  3000  tons  of  coal  per  day. 
Geological  map  of  Illinois,  Stuart  Weller.    111.  State  Geol.  Sur.    Bull.  6,  p.  28-30. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  233 

1908 
Williamson  County  leads  all  Illinois.     Fuel  13:623.     Sept.  14,  1909. 
Fuel  tests  with  Illinois  coal,  L.  P.  Breckenridge  and  Paul  Diserins.     Univ.  of 

111.  Eng.  Exp.  Station  Cir.  3,  1909,  54  p. 
Generation  of  power  from  Illinois  coal,  H.  C.  Hoagland.     111.  State  Geol.  Sur. 

Bull.  14,  p.  242-46. 
How  to  burn   Illinois   coal  without   smoke,   L.   P.    Breckenridge.     Univ.   of   111. 

Eng.  exp.  Station,  Bull.  15,  45  p. 
Occluded    gases   in    Illinois   coals,    Perry   Barker.      111.    State    Geol.    Sur.     Bull. 

14,   p.   204-10.     Amer.   Inst.   Min.    Engrs.     Trans.   40:24-31,    1909.     Amer. 

Inst.  Min.  Engrs.  Bull.  24,  Nov.  1908 
Sampling  and  analysis  of  Illinois  coals,  J.  M.   Lindgren.     111.   State  Geol.   Sur. 

Bull.    14,    p.    196-203.      Amer.    Inst.    Min.    Engrs.    Trans.    40:17-24,    1909. 

Amer.   Inst.  Min.  Engrs.   Bull.  24,  Nov.   1908 
Smokeless  combustion  of  bituminous  coal  by  A.  Bement.     111.   State  Geol.   Sur. 

Bull.    14,    p.    229-32.      Amer.    Inst.    Min.    Engrs.    Trans.    40:52-57,    1909. 

Amer.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs.  Bull.  24,  Nov.  1908. 
Steaming  tests  of  coals  and  related  investigations,   Sept.   1,   1904-Dec.  31,   1908, 

L.  P.  Breckenridge  and  others.     U.  S.  Mines  Bureau.     Bull.  23,  p.   131-3, 

147-59,  191-2. 
The    use    of    Illinois    coals    for    domestic    purposes,    J.    M.    Snodgrass.      Amer. 

Inst.   Min.   Engrs.   Trans.  40:46-52,   1909.     Amer.   Inst.   Min.   Engrs.   Bull. 

24,  Nov.,  1908. 
Weathering  of  coal,  W.   E.   Wheeler.     111.   State  Geol.   Sur.  Bull.   14,  p.  233-36. 

Amer.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs.  Trans.  40:57-61,  1909.     Amer.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs. 

Bull.  24,  Nov.,  1908. 
Majestic    Coal    and    Coke    Co.'s    Mine    at    Clinch,    Illinois,    R.    S.    Moss.      Min. 

Wld.    29:527-28.      Oct.    3,    1908.      Illustrated    description    of    methods    of 

mining  and  plant. 
Mining  wastes  and  mining  co-.ts  i;i  Illinois,   G.   S.   Rice.     HI.   State  Geol.   Sur. 

Bull.    14,    p.    211-22.      Amer.    Inst.    Min.    Engrs.    Trans.    40:31-46,    1909. 

Amer.  Inst.  Min.  En^rs.  Bull.  24,  Nov.  1908. 
Studies  in  Illinois  coals,  H.  F.  Bain  and  others.     111.   State  Geol.   Sur.     Bull. 

14,   187-253.     Amer.   Inst.   Min.  Engrs.  Trans.  40:3-74,   1909.     Amer.   Inst. 

Min.  Engrs.  Bull.  24:  p.  1099-1170. 
The  modifications  of  Illinois  coal  by  low  temperature  distillation,   S.   W.  Parr 

and  C.  K.  Frances.     Univ.  of  111.  Eng.  Exp.  Station  Bull.  24-48  p. 
Modification  of  coal  by  low  temperature  distillation,  C.   K.  Frances.     111.   State 

Geol.  Sur.  Bull.   14.  p.  237-41.     Amer.  Inst.  Min.   Engrs.  Trans.  40:62-66, 
1909.    Amer.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs.  Bull.  24,  Nov.  1908. 
Coal  deposits  and  possible  oil  field  near   Duquoin,    Illinois,   J.    A.   Udden.     111. 

State   Geol.    Sur.    Bull.    14,    p.    255-62.     Min.    and    Eng.    Wld.    30:^87-89. 

Mar.  13,  1909. 
Briquetting  tests,  C.  T.  Malcolmson.     U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  232,  p.  79-124. 


234  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

1909 
The  Carterville  coal  field,  southern  Illinois,  R.  S.  Moss,  Minn,  and  Eng.  Wld. 

30:676-78.     April   10,   1909.     Illustrated  historical  review  of  the  develop- 
ment. 
Coal  fields  of  the  United  States,  R.  Campbell  and  E.  W.  Parker.     U.  S.  Geol. 

Sur.  Bull.  324,  p.  19. 
Conditions  of  the  coal  mining  industry  of  Illinois,  David  Ross,  Min.  and  Eng. 

Wld.  30:981-82,  May  22,  1909. 
The  Illinois  coal  field  ,A.   Bement.     111.   State  Geol.    Sur.   Bull.    16,  p.   182-202. 

West.    Soc.    Engrs.    Jour.    14:305-28,    1909.      Mines    and    Min.    30:709-12, 

July,  1910. 
Chemical  composition  of  Illinois  coal,   S.  W.  Parr.     111.  State  Geol.   Sur.  Bull. 

16,  p.  203-43. 
Coal  analysis,  H.  F.  Bain.     Fuel  13:  May  11,  1909,  p.  43-4. 
The  occluded  gases  in  coal,  S.  W.  Parr  and  Perry  Barker.     Univ.  of  111.  Eng. 

Exp.  Station.    Bull.  32,  28  p. 
Tests  of  washed  grades  of  Illinois  coal,   C.   S.  McGorney.     Univ.  of   111.  eng. 

Exp.  Station.     Bull.  39,  147  p. 
The  geology  and   coal  resources  of  the  West  Frankfort    quadrangle,    Illinois, 
G.  H.  Cady.     111.  State    Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  16,  p.  245-65. 
The   geology   and   coal   resources   of   the   Murphysboro  quadrangle,   Illinois,    E. 

W.  Shaw.     111.  State  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  16,  p.  287-94.     Min.  and  Eng.  Wld. 

34:695-96.     April  1,  1911. 
The    geology    and    coal    resources    of    the    Herrin,    Illinois    quadrangle,    T.    E. 

Savage.     111.     State  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  16,  p.  267-85. 
Proceedings   of  the   Illinois    fuel   conference,   Urbana,    March    11,    12,    13,    1909. 

111.  State  Geol.  Bull.  14,  p.  296-382.     Separate. 
Production  of  coal   in   Illinois  during  1909,   David  Ross.     Eng.  and  Min.  Jour. 

89:146.    Jan.  8,  1910. 
Sealing   shafts   after  an   explosion,   J.   A.   Garcia.     Mines   and   Min.   30:    59-62. 

Aug.   1909.       Describes  an  attempt  to  extinguish  a  mine  fire  by  sealing 

off  the  shafts  at  Mine  No.  18,  Dering  Coal  Co.,  Illinois. 

1910 

The    spontaneous    combustion    of    coal    with    special    reference    to    bituminous 

coal  of  the  Illinois  type,   S.  W.   Parr  and  F.  W.  Kressmann.     Univ.   of 

111.  Eng.  Exp.  Station,  Bull.  46. 
The    spontaneous    combustion    of    Illinois    coal,    F.    W.    Kressmann.      Thesis : 

Univ.  of  Illinois. 
The   Illinois   coal   field,    H.    H.    Stoek.     Mines   and   Min.   31:    54-6,   Aug.    1910. 

Reviews    the    history    and    discusses    the    geology,    trade,    inspection    and 

mining  districts.     Map. 
The  longwall  mines  of  Illinois,  W.   F.   Peltier.   Eng.   and   Min.  Jour.  89:380-1, 

Feb.  12,  1910.     Gives  plans  and  describes  the  method  of  operation. 
Stripping  coal  beds.    Mines  and  Min.  31 :69-70.     1800  w.    Sept.,  1910.     Describes 

methods  in  use  in  bituminous  coal  in  Illinois. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  235 

Resume    of    producer-gas    investigations,    Oct.    1,    1904 — June    30,    1910,    R.    H. 
Fernald  and  C.  D.  Smith.     U.  S.  Mines  Bureau.     Bull.  13,  p.  109-23. 

1911 
Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  St.  Louis  quadrangle,  Missouri,  Illinois, 

N.  M.  Fenneman.  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.    Bull.  438,  73  p. 
Geology   of   Franklin   and   Williamson   Counties,    F.    W.    DeWolf.     Blk.    Diam. 

46:  Feb.  25,  1911,  p.  1243. 
Big    coal    stripping   operations    at    Missionfield,    Illinois.      Blk.    Diam.    46,    June 

17,  1911,  p.  13. 
The  coal  mining  industry  of  Illinois  in  1910,  David  Ross.     Min.  and  Eng.  Wld. 

34:356-57.     2200  w.     Feb.   11,  1911.     A  review  of  the  conditions  affecting 

the  industry. 
Criticism  of  Illinois  coal  mining,  David  Ross.     Engr.  and  Min.  Jour.  91 :430-31. 

2200  w.     Feb.  25,    1911.     Claims  that  the   indiscriminate   use   of   powder 

causes  an  approximate  loss  of  $3,000,000  annually. 
The  Illinois  coal  industry  in  1911.     Coal  Age   1:406-7.     Jan.  6,  1912. 
The  Illinois  industry  in  1911.     Coal  Age  1:447,  Jan.  13,  1912.     Heavy  tonnage 

from  the  new  Franklin  and  Williamson  County  field. 
The    Mississippi    Valley    in    1911.      Coal    Age    1:421,    Jan.    6,    1912.      Costs   and 

production  in  Illinois. 
Operations  of  the  Southern  Illinois  Coal  and  Coke  Co.     Blk.   Diam.  46:   May 

27,  1911,  p.  28-29. 
Geology  of  the  Herrin  quadrangle,  T.   E.   Savage.     Mines  and  Min.  31  :527-31, 

April,  1911. 
Coal  geology  of  the  Herrin  quadrangle  in   Illinois,  T.   E.   Savage.     Blk.   Diam. 

46.     Mar.  11,  1911,  p.  14-15. 

1912 
Macoupin  County  coal.    Fuel  20;  Nov.  1912,  p.  12. 
Franklin   County,    Illinois   coal   field.     A.    Bement.      Blk.     Diam.   49:     Aug.     31, 

1912,  p.  20-21. 
Dry   cleaning   of   coal    at   a    Franklin    County   mine.      Blk.    Diam.   49:    Aug.    3, 

1912,   p.   18-25.      Spiral   separators  at   Wilmington    Star  Min.    Co.    screen- 
ing plant. 
Geology  of  Sangamon  County,  A.  R.  Crook.     Separate.     24  p. 
Review  of  coal  mining  for  1912,  Martin  Bolt.     Coal  Age  3:42,  Jan.   11,   1913. 
The  run  of  mine   system  in   Illinois,  A.   Dinsmore.     Coal   Age   1  :705.      1200  w. 

Mar.  9,  1912. 
The    screening   problem    in    Illinois,    A.    Bement.      Coal    Age    1:1105.      1000    w. 

June  1,  1912. 
Styles  of   coal,   how   they  hit  the   Wilmington   field,   Illinois,   A.   Bement.     Blk. 

Diam.  49:32.     2500  w.     Oct.  12,   1912. 
Working  longwall  in  the  coal  mines  of   Illinois,   A.    R.   Lettsome.     Blk.    Diam. 

49:19.      1000    w.      Feb.    10,    1912.      Discusses    modifications    required    by 

State  ventilation  laws. 


236  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Buckner  No.  2  mine,  Warren  Roberts  and  Oscar  Cartlidge.  Mines  and  Min. 
33:121-25.  3000  w.  Oct.,  1912.  Illustrates  and  describes  surface  and 
underground  arrangements,  showing  the  more  advanced  practice  in  the 
Illinois  coal  field. 

Cheap  stripping  with  shovels  near  surface,  J.  W.  Ijams.  Blk.  Diam.  48 :20. 
1200  w.  Jan.  27,  1912.  Stripping  in  open-cut  coal  mines  near  Dan- 
ville, 111. 

Fireproof  coal  washing,  Panama,  Illinois,  J.  A.  Garcia.  Coal  Age  1 :964. 
1600  w.     May  4,  1912. 

Longwall  mining  in  Illinois,  F.  D.  Chadwick.  Mines  and  Min.  32:451.  2000  w. 
Mar.  1912.  Illustrated  description  of  the  plan  used  in  mines  of  Spring 
Valley  Coal  Co.,  method  of  timbering,  etc. 

Mining  methods  in  Illinois,  M.  F.  Peltier.     Coal  Age  1 :732.    2000  w.     Mar.  16, 

1912.  Peabody  Coal  Co.  No.  3  mine,  Marion,  111. 

Mining  of  shallow  deposits  with  steam  shovels,  C.  A.  Tupper.     Min.  and  Engr. 

Wld.   38:59.     1500  w.     Jan.    13,    1912.     Missionfield,   111.   coal   mines. 
Geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  Peoria  quadrangle,  Illinois,  J.  A.  Udden. 

U.   S.  Geol.  Sur.     Bull.  506,  103  p.     Abstract  in  Wash.  Acad.  Sci.  Jour., 

Vol.  2,  No.  18,  p.  440. 
Fuel-briquetting  investigations,  July,   1904-12,   C.   F.  Wright.     U.   S.  Mines  Bu- 
reau. Bull.  58,  p.  143-60. 
Description  of  the  Murphysboro  and  Herrin  quadrangle  (Illinois),  E.  W.  Shaw 

and  T.  E.  Savage.    U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.     Geol.  Atlas  of  the  U.  S.    Folio  185. 
The  coking  of  coal  at  low  temperatures,   S.  W.  Parr  and  H.   L.   Olin.     Univ. 

of  111.  Eng.  Exp.  Station.     Bull.  60,  46  p. 
Miscellaneous    analyses    of    coal,    samples    from    various    fields    of    the    United 

States.    U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.  Bull.  531,  p.  338-9. 
Report  on  Macoupin  County  mines.     Fuel  20 :  Dec.  4,  1912,  p.  25,  2  columns. 

1913 
Analyses   of   coals    in   the   United    States    with    description    of    mine    and    field 

samples,    N.   W.   Lord   and   others.     U.    S.    Mines   Bureau.     Bull.   22,   pt. 

I,  p.  83-93;  pt.  II,  p.  491-514. 
Analyses  of  mine  and  car  samples  of  coal  collected  in  the  fiscal  years   1911- 

1913,  A.  C.  Fieldner  an  dothers.     U.  S.  Mines  Bureau.     Bull.  85,  p.  36-7, 
196-9. 

Procedure  of  the  U.  S.  Engineer's  Office  of  the  War  Department  at  St.  Louis 

in  the  purchase   of  Illinois   coal   on   a   heat   unit   basis,   J.    M.   Goldman. 

Eng.  and  Con.  40:539-41.     Nov.  12,  1913.     Deals  with  Illinois  bituminous 

coals  purchased  for  steaming  purposes. 
Coal   preparation   in   Franklin   Co.,    Illinois,    R.    D.    Hall.      Coal    Age   3 :719-21, 

May  10,  1913. 
Description  of   the   Tallula   and    Springfield   quadrangle,    Illinois,    E.    W.    Shaw 

and  T.  E.  Savage.    U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.     Geol.  Atlas  of  the  U.  S.     Folio  188. 
Accuracy  and  limitations  of  coal   analysis,   A.   C.   Fieldner.     Fuel  20:   Jan.   29, 

1913.  p.  17-22. 
Coal  in  Illinois,  1913.     Coal  Age  4:724.     Nov.   15,   1913.     Tonnage  by  counties. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  237 

The  coal  industry  of  Illinois  and  Indiana.    Coal  and  Gas  Opr.,  Oct.  9,  1913,  p.  530. 
Coal   production   in   Illinois.     Coal   Age  4:461.     Sept.   27,   1913.     Summary    for 

1912  and  1913. 
Coal    washing    in    Illinois,    F.    C.    Lincoln.     Univ.    of    111.    Eng.    Exp.    Station. 

Bull.  69. 
A  heavy  Illinois  producer,  Staunton  Coal  Co.     Coal  Age  4:163.     Aug.  2,  1913. 

Mine  located  at  Livingston,  111. 
New  development   work  in   Illinois.     Coal  Age  3 :831.     May   31,    1913. 
No.  2  mine  of  the  United  Coal  Mining  Co.,  Illinois,  C.   M.  Moderwell.     Coal 

and  Coke  Opr.  May  15,  1913,  p.  55.     Coal  Age  3  754-5.     May  17,  1913. 
Preliminary    report    on    organization    and    method    of    investigations.      111.    Coal 

Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  I. 
The    preparation    of    coal,    Gordon    Buchanan.      Coal    Age    3:750-53,    May    17, 

1913.     Reviews  changes  introduced  in  Illinois  during  the  last  35  years. 
Shooting  off  solid  in  Illinois.     Coal  Age  4:373.     Sept.   13,   1913.     Discreditable 

use  of  powder. 
The    history    of    coal    preparation    in    Illinois,    Gordan    Buchanan.      Blk.    Diam. 

50:16.     2200  w.     May  17,  1913.     Coal  Age  3:750.     3000  w.     May  17,  1913. 
Illinois    as    a    mineral    producer,    E.    W.    Parker.      Coal    Age    3 :756.      1300    w. 

May  17,  1913.     Coal  and  Coke  Opr.     May  15,  1913,  p.  45-6. 
The   Illinois   coal   fields,    A.    Bement.      Coal    Age   3:558-62.     Apr.    12,    1913.      A 

valuable  review   of  conditions  throughout  the  State. 
Illinois    Mining   Board's    summary    of    coal    production.      Coal    and    Coke    Opr., 

Oct.  2,  1913,  p.  496. 
Illinois  Coal  Statistics.    Min.  and  Eng.  Wld.  39:585.    500  w.  Oct.  4,  1913. 
Illinois    third    in    list    of    coal-producing    states.      Coal    and    Coke    Opr.      Sept. 

11,  1913,  p.  435. 
Longwall   mining  by   the    Spring   Valley   Coal   Co.,    S.    M.    Dalzell,    Blk.    Diam. 

50:  June  7,  1913. 
Longwall   mining   in    Illinois,    S.    M.    Dalzell.      Coll.    Eng.,   June,    1913.     p.   606. 

2200  w.     Coal  and  Coke  Opr.     May  15,  1913,  p.  51.     3000  w. 
The  Madison  Coal  Corporation  mine  No.  9,   Illinois,  James  Taylor.     Coal   Age 

4:640.     2300  w.     Nov.  1,  1913. 
Mine   equipped    to    avoid    troublesome    conditions:      How    the    Donk    mines    of 

south-western   Illinois  are   worked   and    supplied   with   machines  to   over- 
come certain   roof  defects.     Blk.   Diam.   50.     May  31,    1913,   p.    18-19. 
Coal    mining   practice   in    District    VIII    (Danville),    S.    O.    Andros.      111.    Coal 

Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  2,  47  p. 
Mine  inspection  service  in  Illinois.     Coal  Age  3:922-24.     June   14,   1913. 

1914 

A  chemical  study  of  Illinois  coals,  S.  W.  Parr.     111.  Coal  Mining  Investigations, 

Bull.  3,  1914. 
A    coal    map   of    Illinois    with    the    state    divided    according    to    districts.      Blk. 

Diam.  52 :538  June  27,  1914. 
Concrete-lined    shafts    at   the    Bunsenville    mine,    Illinois,    A.    F.    Allard.      Coal 

Age  6:747.    Nov.  7,  1914. 


238  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  VII  (Mines  in  bed  6  in  Bond,  Clinton,  Chris- 
tian, Macoupin,  Madison,  Marion,  Montgomery,  Moultrie,  Perry,  Ran- 
dolph, St.  Clair,  Sangamon,  Shelby  and  Washington  counties),  S.  O. 
Andros.     111.  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  4,  53  p. 

History  of  the  No.  2  coal  seam,  A.  Bement.    Blk.  Diam.  52 :539.    June  27,  1914. 

Humidity  of  mine  air,  with  especial  reference  to  coal  mines  in  Illinois,  R.  Y. 
Williams.     U.  S.  Mines  Bureau,  Bull.  83,  69  p. 

Illinois,  Martin  Bolt.  Coal  Age  5:49.  Jan.,  1914.  Advance  in  coal  mining, 
1912-14. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  I  (Longwall),  S.  O.  Andros.  111.  Coal  Mining 
Investigations,  Bull.  5,  42  p.  Longwall  mines  working  bed  2  in  Will, 
Woodford,    Putnam,    Marshall,    La    Salle,    Grundy   and    Bureau   counties. 

The  testing  of  coal  for  purchase,  J.  M.  Goldman.  Assn.  Engrs.  Soc.  Jour. 
Jan.,  1914.  8000  w.  Deals  only  with  Illinois  bituminous  coals  purchased 
for  steaming  purposes. 

Installing  electrical  haulage  in  longwall  mines.  The  La  Salle  County  Carbon 
Coal  Company  makes  over  some  old  mines  to  meet  new  conditions. 
Blk.  Diam.  52:6-7.    Jan.  3,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  V  (Mines  in  bed  5  in  Saline  and  Gallatin 
counties),  S.  O.  Andros.  111.  Coal  Mining  Investigations.  Bull.  6 
34  p. 

Large  electric  hoists  and  Ilgner  system,  G.  E.  Edwards.  Min.  and  Eng.  Wld. 
40:1103.  June  13,  1914.  (Illustrates  two  noteworthy  installations — The 
Peabody  Coal  Company  at  Nokomis  and  Christopher  Coal  Company  at 
Christopher,  111). 

Major  coal  producers  of  Illinois.     Blk.   Diam.  52:2745.     Apr.  4,   1914. 

A  modern  Illinois  coal  mining  plant,  R.  G.  Read.  Coal  Age  5 :638-39,  April 
18,  1914.     New  plant  of  the  Chicago,  Wilmington  and  Vermilion  Coal  Co. 

A  notable  Illinois  coal  seam  (Seam  No.  2),  A.  Bement.  Blk.  Diam.  52:539, 
June  27,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  II  (Mines  in  bed  2  in  Jackson  county),  S. 
O.  Andros.     111.  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  7,  22  p. 

Notes  on  coal  mining  in  Illinois,  Samuel  Dean.  I.  &  C.  Tr.  Rev.,  Oct.  16, 
1914,  p.  485.  Coll.  Guard.  108:831-2,  Oct.  16,  1914.  Inst.  Min.  Engrs. 
Trans.  48,  pt.  I.     11000  w. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  Jackson  county,  Illinois,  S.  O.  Andros.  Blk.  Diam. 
53:182-3,  Sept.  5,  1914. 

Plumbing  the  No.  5  shaft;  of  the  Madison  Coal  Corporation  in  Illinois,  G.  E. 
Lyman.     Coal  Age.     6:227-9.     Aug.  8,  1914. 

The  Superior  Coal  Co.,  Illinois,  W.  Z.  Price.    Coll.  Engr.  35  :89-91.     Sept.  1914. 

Surveying  methods  of  the  Madison  Coal  Corporation  (Illinois),  G.  E.  Lyman. 
Coal  Age  5  :843.     3500  w.     May  23,  1914. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  VI  (Mines  in  bed  6  in  Franklin,  Jackson, 
Perry  and  Williamson  counties),  S.  O.  Andros.  111.  Coal  Mining  Inves- 
tigations, Bull.  8,  49  p. 

Outline  of  the  Geological  history  of  Illinois.  Blk.  Diam.  52:538-9,  June  27, 
1914. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  239 

1915 

Coal  preparation  at  new  mine  of  Old  Ben  Mining  Corporation.  Coal  Age 
7:786-88.  April  3,  1915.  Large  spiral  coal-cleaning  plant  at  West  Frank- 
fort, 111. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  III  (Mines  in  beds  1  and  2  in  Brown,  Calhoun, 
Cass,  Fulton,  Green,  Hancock,  Henry,  Jersey,  Knox,  McDonough,  Mer- 
cer, Morgan,  Rock  Island,  Schuyler,  Scott  and  Warren  counties),  S.  O. 
Andros.     Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  9,  30  p. 

Coal  resources  of  District  I  (Longwall),  Gilbert  H.  Cady.  111.  Coal  Mining 
Investigations,  Bull.  10,  149  p. 

Coal  resources  of  District  VII  (Coal  No.  6  west  of  Duquoin  anticline),  F.  H. 
Kay.     111.  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  11,  233  p. 

Coal  mining  practice  in  District  IV  (Mines  in  bed  5  in  Cass,  DeWitt,  Fulton, 
Knox,  Logan,  Macon,  Mason,  McLean,  Menard,  Peoria,  Sangamon, 
Schuyler,  Tazewell  and  Woodford  counties),  S.  O.  Andros.  111.  Coal 
Mining  Investigations,  Bull.  12,  57  p. 

Plant  of  the  Nokomis  Coal  Co,  W.  R.  Roberts.  Coal  Age  7:450-52.  Mar. 
13,  1915. 

Reopening  of  the  Grayson  Mine  in  Illinois,  E.  C.  Lee.  Coal  Age  7 :322-24. 
Feb.  20,  1915.  A  dangerous  mine  fire  was  extinguished  by  sealing  up 
shafts.  Rescue  corps  succeeded  in  opening  the  workings  without  serious 
mishap. 

ANNUAL  REPORTS 

1878-date 
Statistical  abstract  of  the  United  States.    U.  S.  Bureau  of  Statistics. 

1880-date 
Annual  report  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

1881-date 
Annual   reports  of  the   state  inspectors  of  mines,    found   in  the   "Annual   Coal 
Report."     No  reports  for  1883. 

1882-date 
Annual  Coal  Reports  for  Illinois.  1882-1910:  Illinois  Bureau  of  Labor  Statis- 
tics, Springfield,  1911:  Illinois  State  Mining  Board,  Springfield.  From 
1882-1893  the  report  appeared  in  the  even  years  in  the  Biennial  Report  of 
the  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  in  the  odd  years  as  a  separate ;  from  1894 
to  date  as  a  separate.  Contains  the  annual  reports  of  the  state  inspec- 
tors of  mines. 

1882-date 
Mineral  resources  of  the  United   States.     U.   S.   Geological   Survey. 


240  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 


MINING  LAWS. 

1889 
111.  General  Assembly. 

1891 
111.  General  Assembly. 

1893 
The  mining  laws  and  labor  laws  of  Illinois  as  amended  and  in   force  on  and 
alter  July  1,  1893.     111.  General  Assembly,  51  p. 

1899 
Revised  mining  law  of  Illinois  in  force  July  1,   1899.     111.  State  bd.  of  com.  of 
labor.    39  p. 

1903 
Mining  laws  of  Illinois  in  force  July  1,  1903.     111.  State  bd.  of  com.  of  labor. 
34  p. 

1910 
Coal  mining  laws  in  Illinois  in   force  July  1,  1909  and   1910.     111.   State  bd.  of 
com.  of  labor.    102  p. 

1911 

Coal  mining  laws  of  Illinois  in   force  July   1,   1911.     111.   Bureau  of  labor  sta- 
tistics.    122  p. 

1913 

Coal  mining  laws  in  force  July  1,  1913.     111.  State  Mining  Board.     106  p. 


INDEX 


A  PAGE 

Abbey  Coal  Mining  Company.  .  .40,  41 

Accidents,  causes  of 142,  143,  144 

number  of  fatal  in  State 54 

number  per    1000   employees 142 

Accounting,  need   for  uniform   sys- 
tem    ."..149 

Adams  County,  employees  in  mines, 

1840 32 

production  of  coal,  1840 32 

Air  compressors,  pressure 211 

Air  courses,  cross  entries  used  as.  .   80 

Air-drills,  use  of  in  blasting 119 

Air,  pollution   of 150 

Alma,  mining  at,   1851 36 

Alton,    coal   near 15 

price  of  coal  in  1837 23 

American   Bottom,  description  of .  .    13 

first  discovery  of  coal 13 

Lime,  Marble  and  Coal  Company  48 

mining  near  13 

American  Gazeteer,  Morse's 13 

Analyses  of  Illinois  coals 57 

Area  of  Illinois  coal  fields 7 

Assumption  Mine    53 

Automatic  caging 191 


B 

Bartlett  Coal  Company 

Beaucoup    River    coal,    analysis    of, 

1840 

Belleville,  analysis  of  coal,  1871.... 

coal,  price,  1871 

coal,  production  in   1871 

district,  most  important  in    State, 
1875    

macadamized  road  from  St   Louis 

to     . .  .  .. 

Benches  in  entries  in  District  IT.  .  .  . 

two  in  entries  in  District  VI.... 

Big  Muddy  coal,  analysis  of,  1840.  . 

Big  Muddv  River,  coal  in  banks  of 

1840  .". 15, 

mining  in  1810  on  banks  of 

Bits,  in  chain  machines 

Black  powder,  carelessness  in  use.. 

cost     

fires  after  shooting    

long  flame  of  dangerous 

percentage  of  misfires 

sizes    119, 

Blasting 

at  stripping  mines    

bug  dust  used   for  tamping 

fires  after  

in  longwall   mines 

in  mines  shooting  off  the  solid.. 
115. 


41 

32 
43 
42 
42 

41 

34 

137 

89 

32 

30 
19 
118 
126 
124 
126 
123 
125 
123 
114 
111 
125 
126 
106 

116 


PAGE 

in  mines  using  undercutting  ma- 
chines  120,  121,  122 

in  stripping  mines Ill 

methods  in  local  mines 114 

tamping   used    125 

use  of   fuse 124 

use  of    squibs 125 

Block  room-and-pillar  system.  .  .  .85,  86 

Blue  band  in  seam  6 64,  65,  66 

Boilers,  coal  burned  under 213 

horse   power  and   pressure.  .211,  212 

Bond  County,  coal  in 21 

Boston   Association    for  purchasing- 
Mineral     Property     in     Illinois, 

1840,   report  to... 29 

Bottom   coal    81 

Brown   County,   coal   production   in. 

1880  ....." 48 

Brownsville,  coal  at   in   1840 30 

first  mining  in  Illinois  at 19 

shipment  of  coal   from 14 

Brushing  roof  79 

cost 181 

Bug  dust  used  for  tamping 125 

Bunsen  Coal  Company,  safe  storage 

of  oil   '. 174 

Bureau  County,  coal  production  in 

1870    ....: 40 

1880    48 

Bureau    of    Labor    Statistics,    First 
Biennial   Report   49 


( !ages,  t>  pes  of   191 

Cahokia,  coal  near 15 

Cairo   and    St.   Louis    Railroad 48 

Calcium  chloride,  use  of  on  floor.. 158 

I  lalhoun  County,  coal  in   21 

Capitalization  of  coal  mines 223 

in  1840 32 

( larbide  lamps,  use  of 174 

Carbolineum,  use  of  in  treating  tim- 
ber   130,  132 

Cartridges,    carelessness    in    filling..  126 

( larver,  J.,  Journals  of  12 

Caseyville,  coal  mine  at,   1851 36 

( 'axes,    timbering    in    137 

Causes  of  accidents 142,   143,   144 

Cement  gun.  use  of  in  lining  shafts. 200 
Centerville,  mining  of  coal  near.  ...  16 
Chain-breast  mining  machines,  tons 

undercut  per  day  by   117 

(  harlevoix,   Journal    12 

Chicago,     a     market      for     Rockwell 

coal  in   1837 26 

Chicago,    Alton    &    St.    Louis    Rail- 
road     47 


(241) 


242 


1 N  DEX — Continued 


PAGE 

Chicago    &    Rock    Island    Railroad 

completed   34 

Chicago  &  Wilmington  Coal  Com- 
pany    40 

Chicago  Coal  Company  41 

Chicago,  Illinois  coal  sold  in,  1841 .  .   33 
largest  commercial  town  in  1836.  .   20 

railroads    leading   into,    1855 37 

shipment  of  coal  to 38 

Chicago,  Wilmington  and  Vermilion 

Coal   Company 40 

Christian  County,  mining  of  coal..   53 

coal  production  in  1870 40 

Clay  veins  in  seam  5 61 

Clark  County,  coal 15 

Cleat  in  coal   77 

Clinton  County,  coal  production   in 

1870    40 

in   1880    48 

Coal,  analyses  of  face  samples  of..  157 

annual  production   35 

causes  of  present  low  prices 219 

cutting 117 

cutting  machines,  kinds   117 

first  discovery  in  Illinois 10 

gained   per   day   by   puncher   ma- 
chines     118 

impurities   204 

markets  for  219 

preparation  of 202 

production  in  Illinois,   1870 40 

selling  price  219 

set  sizes   for  wagon  trade 210 

sizes    202,  203 

use  by  blacksmiths  in   1830 16 

value  in  the  ground 89 

Coal  washing  in  Illinois 203 

sizes  of  coal  made  in 204 

Coal  wasted  at  mine 213 

Coal  dust,  adulteration  of  bv  shale 

dust 158 

analysis   153 

explosibility   157 

explosions,   prevention   of...  153,  159 

Coal  fields  of  Illinois    37 

Coal  mining,  decline  of  profit 221 

early  methods   68 

first  in  Illinois   19 

Coal  Mine  Bluffs  Railroad 21,  34 

Coal  mines,  capitalization 223 

local   70 

local  in  District  2 70 

local  in  District  3 70 

room-and-pillar    71 

shipping    70 

types  of  in  Illinois 68 


unmodified   room-and-pillar 71 

Coal  production  of  Illinois 7 

of  United  States 7 

of  world   7 

value  in  1840 32 

Coal    seams,   description 56 

Coal  Valley  Mining  Company,  pil- 
lar drawing   90 

Cogs  in  longwall  mines   128.  129 

Coles    Countv,    coal    production    in, 

1880    48 

Competition  between  Illinois  coals. 219 
!    Competition    of    Illinois    coal    with 

other   coal    219 

:    Concrete,   use    134 

use   for  overcasts    165 

Concrete  blocks,  cost  in  stoppings.  .166 

use  for  stoppings  163 

Cost  of  coal   at  stripping  mines... Ill 

Country  banks    70 

Creosote,    use    for    preserving   tim- 
bers     132 

Crooked  Creek,  coal  in  banks 16 

Cross  barrier  pillar,  dimensions.  ...   83 
Crosscuts,  offset  in  District  VII. . .  . 

Cross  entries,  width   71 

Cross  entry  pillar,  width 71 


D 


Danville  District,  stripping  mines..  107 

Danville,  mining  near   41 

Decatur  and    East    St.    Louis   Rail- 
road      47 

Decay  of  timbers  in  longwall  mines  130 
Description    of    the    militarv    land, 

Van  Zandt  ' 14 

Dikes  in  seam  5  63 

Dimensions  of  workings  in  unmodi- 
fied room-and-pillar  mines 

74,  75,  76 

Discovery   of  coal,   first   in   United 

States    10 

District  I,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties     52 

seams 52 

District  II,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties     52 

seams 52 

two  benches  in  mines 78 

District  III,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties 52 

seams 52 

District  IV,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties 52 

seams  52 


INDEX — Continued 


243 


PAGE 

District  V,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties 52 

seams  52 

District  VI,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties 52 

seams 52 

District  VII,  analysis  of  coal 57 

counties 52 

seams  52 

District  VIII,  analysis  of  coal    ....   57 

counties  52 

seams  52 

Districts  of  Illinois  Cooperative  In- 
vestigation       51 

Division  of  State  into  districts....   51 

Drainage     113 

Draw  slate  in  District  V 80 

Drill  holes,  position    118 

E 

East  St.  Louis,  price  of  coal  in  1871  43 
railroads   radiating    from   in    1875  47 
Edwards     Countv,     emplovees     in 

mines,    1840    '. 32 

coal  production  in  1840 32 

Egg  coal  202 

Electric  generators,  volts 211,  212 

kilowatts 211,  212 

Electricity,  use  in  lighting 174 

Electric    locomotives,    ton     mileage 

per  day   176 

Ellisville,  sulphur  hands  in  coal....   59 

Employes   in   coal   mines 32,  33 

nationality    147 

of  coal   mines,   1840 32 

production  per  capita  in  longwall 

mines   147 

production  per  capita 147,  148 

total  in  State    54 

Entry  sets,  in  longwall  mines 129 

kinds  135,  136 

Explosibility  of  coal  dust  157 

Explosion  door 159 

Explosions   154 

causes    123 

coal    dust,    prevention    159 

Explosive  gases  in  Illinois  districts. 154 

nature    154 

Explosives,  use  in  longwall  mines..  106 

F 

Face  bosses,   number 138 

Fan  engines,  operation  169   j 

Fans,  quantity  of  air  supplied 161 

Featherstonhaugh,     Geological     Re- 
port on  Illinois  18 


PAGE 

Fireclav,  heaving   80 

Fires 171 

Fires,  after  shooting    126 

causes  171,  174 

causes  in  longwall  mines 151 

causes  in  stables    171 

cost  to  extinguish    171 

quenching  152 

sealing  off    171 

First  Aid  crews   in  Illinois 146 

Floor,  heaving 80 

Forrest,    Shepherd,    map    drawn    in 

1840    29 

report  in  1840  28 

Fox  River,  coal  in  banks 16 

Fulton   Countv,   coal   production   in 

1870    ....". 40 

1880    48 

seam  5  outcrop    60 

Fuse,  percentage  of   shots  fired   by 

120,  121,  122,'  124 

use  in  blasting 124 


Galena  and   Chicago   Railroad,  con- 
struction       34 

Gallatin      Countv,       emplovees       in 

mines,  1840 32 

coal  production  in,  1840 32 

1870    40 

1880    48 

seam   5    62 

thickness  of  coal 62 

Gartside  Coal  Company 36 

Gas,  explosive,  occurrence 

157,  156,  154,  155 

in  longwall  mines    152 

presence  in  development  entries.  .  156 

pressure  in   solid   coal 154 

volume  in  air  current   155 

Gasoline  locomotives 176 

advantages   177 

amount   of  air  required    for  ven- 
tilation   179 

carbon    monoxide    generated 179 

first  in  Illinois   179,  180 

ton  mileage    178 

Gathering,  cost   181 

with  mules  180 

Gazeteer   of    Illinois    and    Missouri, 

Beck 14 

Geology  of   Illinois  districts 56 

of  Upper  Illinois  in  1838 24 

Gob,  alongside  tracks 80 

Gob    fires,    cause     of    in    longwall 

mines   151 

sulphur  in  gob,  cause  of 107 


244 


INDEX — Continued 


Grape  Creek  Coal  Company 41 

Greene  County,  coal 15,  21 

Greene  County,  coal  production  in, 

1880 48 

Grundy   County,   first  mining 41 

mining  begun,  1874  41 

coal  production  in   1870    40 

1880    48 

Guide  for  Emigrants,  Peck 17 

Gunite,  cost  per  square  foot 200 

use   for  shaft  linings    200 

H 

Haulage    175 

amount  of  air  required  for  venti- 
lation with  gasoline  locomo- 
tives    179 

brushing  of  roof 181 

by  dogs    175,  178 

cost 181 

cost  of  gathering  181 

equipment.  .183,  184,  186,  187.  188,  189 

hand 175 

kind  of  in  shipping  mines 175 

lifting  the  floor 181 

locomotive    175 

maintenance  of  mules 182 

mule   175 

reasons    for  high   costs 182 

rope    175 

A.   C.   electric  locomotive 213 

gasoline  locomotives  176 

mules  in  gathering    180 

rack-rail    175 

third  rail  175 

Hay,  transportation 171 

Hennepin,  Father  Louis   10 

Henrv  Countv,  employees  in  mines 

o"f,    1840"........" 32 

coal  production  in,   1840 32 

1870    40 

1880    48 

History  of  East  St.  Louis,  Tyson..  41 

History  of  St.  Clair  County 20 

Hoisting    191 

by  hand  191 

horses    191 

steam   191 

engines    197 

equipment.  . 192,  193,  198,   199 

record  of  United  States 191 

speed    191 

Horse  scrapers  at  stripping  mines.  Ill 
Humidification  of  mine  air  ...153,  159 

use  of  steam  in    160,  161 

Humidity  of  mine  air 153,  159   | 


PAGE 

Hydraulic  mining  machines,  use...  123 
Hvdraulic     monitors     at     stripping 
mines    108,  111 

I 

I-beams,   steel,  cost  in  place 132 

Illinois,  annual  production  of  coal.     7 

area  of  coal  fields 7 

coal  production  in  1855 38 

1860 39 

employes  in  mines  in   1839 33 

first  discovery  of  coal 10 

increase  of  population 20 

inhabitants    14 

markets  for  coal  in   1838 27 

number   of    coal   mines.    1860.  ...   39 

production  of  coal  in,   1839 33 

railroads  in,  1855   37 

Illinois  and  St.  Louis  Coal  Road..  47 
Illinois  and  the  West  in   1838.....   27 
Illinois    Central    Railroad,    authori- 
zation of  building   34 

Illinois    coal,    in    competition    with 

lake  coal  220 

in  Missouri  and  Iowa  markets.  .  .220 
Illinois-Michigan    Canal    authorized 

by  Legislature  18 

coal  discovered  in  excavating   .  .  .  23 

completion    19 

first  mention   18 

opening   34 

Illinois    River,    coal    at    junction    of 

Fox  River 14,  17 

coal  in  banks. ...  7,  13,  14,  15,  17,  24 

location  of  "cole  mine"  in.  1689..    10 

Illinoistown  and  Belleville  Railroad  47 

Illinois  Valley  Coal  Company 41 

Inclination  of  screens   210 

J 

Jackson    Countv,    capitalization    of 

mines  of,  1840   33 

Jackson  County,  coal 15,  21,  23,  30 

coal  seams  in  1840 30 

description  of  coal   seam 58 

employees  in  mines  in,   1840 33 

first  mining   in    Illinois   in 19 

mining  of  coal  in   17 

coal  production  in,  1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

seam  2 58 

Jasper  County,  coal  production  in, 

1880    48 

1870    40 


INDEX — Continued 


245 


PAGE 

Jersey   County,   coal   production   in, 

1880 48 

Johnson  County,  coal  production  in, 

1880    48 

Joliet's  discovery  of  coal    10 

Joliet's  map   8 

Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute..    19 

K 

Kankakee    County,    coal   production 

in,  1880  48 

Kenoska  Coal  Company   41 

Kennedy,  Patrick,  Journal    12 

Kickapoo  Creek,  coal  in  banks 16 

Knox    County,    coal    production    in, 

1870    40 

1880 48 

seam   5   outcrops   in    60 

L 

Labor  disputes  in  1875    44 

Lake    region,   consumption   of   coal 

1853    38 

Lakes,  coal  trade  in  1855   37 

Lamps,   proper  use    156 

open    174 

La  Salle  anticline    56 

longwall  mining    99 

La  Salle  Coal  Mining  Company.  ...   39 
La  Salle  County,  coal 21,  39 

coal   production   in    1870    40 

1880 48 

La  Salle  field,  price  paid  miners.  .  . .  102 

La  Salle's  letter  to  Frontenac 10 

Lawrence   County,  capitalization   of 
mines,    1840    33 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

coal  production,  1840 33 

Lighting    174 

Livingston  Countv,  coal  production 

in  1870 .' 40 

1880 48 

Local  mines,   area  of   workings....    70 

percentage  of  tonnage  of  State..   70 
Locomotives,  number  of  in   Illinois 
mines     175 

repair 190 

ton  mileage 178 

types 175 

Locomotives,  R.  R.,  wood  burned  in  34 
Logan  County,  depth  of  seam  5  in  60 

coal  production  in  1870 40 

1880    48 

Longwall  mine,  plan    94 

Longwall  mines    93 


PAGE 

blasting   106 

dimensions  of  workings 100 

entry-around-pillar  94,  95 

gas    152 

haulage  roads   98 

lyes  129 

march  props    104 

method  of  opening   94 

percentage     of     lump     coal     pro- 
duced    105 

shaft  pillars   94 

sprags    105 

undermining    105 

use  of   explosives    106 

ventilation    150 

Longwall   mining    73,  93 

causes  of  gob  fires   151 

cogs    128 

cost   of  timbering    130 

establishment   of   face    98 

establishment  of  in  Illinois 93 

filling    space    left    by    removal    of 

coal     .' 101 

first  roof  break    94 

gob 99,  101 

in  dipping  seams    99 

modifications   99 

pack  walls    95,  97.  102 

places     104 

panels    100 

percentage  of  lump  coal  produced  105 

permanent   timbering    127 

price   paid   miners 102 

production  per  capita 147 

removal  of  shaft  pillar 97 

roof  breaks    101 

roof  brushing    101 

rooms 98 

Scotch  45-degree  system 99 

spalling  of  shaft  pillar 96 

surface  subsidence 103 

temperature  of  air 130 

undermining    101 

work  at  the   face 104 

Lump  coal    202 

produced   in   longwall   mines 105 

waste    in    blasting 123 

Lyes  in  longwall  mines  129 

M 

Mackinaw  River,  coal  in  banks 12 

Macon  County,  depth  of  seam  5.  .  .  .  60 
Macoupin    Countv,    coal    production 

in   1870    40 

1880 48 

Madison    County,    capitalization    of 

mines,   1840    33 

coal 21 


246 


INDEX— Continued 


PAGE 

employees   in   mines,    1840 33 

coal  production  in,  1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Main  barrier  pillar,  dimensions 83 

Main  entries  triple  in  District  5 . . .  80 

Main  entry,  width  71 

March  props  in  longwall  mines 104 

Marion  County,  coal  production  in, 

1880    48 

Markets  for  Illinois  coal.. 31,  219,  220 
Markets,  percentage  of  shipments  to 

each    221 

tonnage  shipped  to  each 222 

Marquette,    first    discovery    of   coal 

in    Illinois    10 

Journal    10 

map    11 

Marshall    County,    capitalization    of 

mines,   1840    33 

employees  in  mines,   1840 33 

production  of  coal,  1840   33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

McDonough    County,    coal    produc- 
tion in  1870 40 

1880    .  .  48 

McLean  County,  depth  of  seam  5  in  60 

coal  production  in  1870   40 

1880 48 

Mechanical   haulage,   equipment.... 

186,  187,  188,  189 

Menard  County,  coal  production  in 

1870    40 

1880 48 

Mercer    County,    coal    production, 

1870 40 

1880 48 

Mine  air,  pollution    150 

Mine   fires    171 

method   of  quenching    152 

Mining,   first   in   Illinois 13 

Mining   machines,    hydraulic 123 

Mine  Rescue  stations  146   i 

Mississippi     River,    coal    at    upper 

rapids     22 

coal  in  banks    12 

Mississippi  Valley,  first  railroad.  ...  21 

Monroe  County,  coal   21 

Montgomery   County,   coal   produc- 
tion in  1870   40 

1880    :•■;••: 48 

Morgan    County,    capitalization    of 

mines,  1840 33 

employees  in  mines,   1840 33 

production   of   coal,    1840 33 

1880 48  ! 

Mount  Carbon  coal  mines 19  I 


PAGE 

Muddy    Creek,    coal    in    banks    of. 

1855    38 

Mule  haulage,  equipment 183,  184 

Mules,  condition   180,  181 

cost 181 

maintenance     182 

stabling   173 

N 

Narrow  work,  dimensions 82 

Nationality  of  employees 147 

New  Orleans,  coal  shipped  to,  1840  31 
Illinois  coal   shipped  to,   1855....  38 

price  of  coal,   1855    38 

New  Orleans,  shipment  of  coal  to.    14 

Northern    Cross    railroad 34 

Northern  Illinois  Coal  &  Iron  Com- 
pany      39 

Notes    on    the    Western    States    in 

1838,  Hall .  27 

No.    6    seam,    first    one    worked    in 

State    42 

Nut  coal,  sizes 202 

O 

Oglesby  Coal  Company,  began  long- 
wall  mining   33 

Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad  Com- 
pany     36,  47 

Oil,  carelessness  in  storing 174 

Oil  lamps,  use  174 

Ottawa,   coal  near    25,  33 

Otter  Creek,  coal  in  banks 16 

Overcasts,  cost  169 

P 

Pack  walls  in  longwall  mines 102 

width  of  in  longwall  mines 103 

Panel  mine,  plan 84 

Panel   mines    83 

dimensions    87,  88 

Panel  system,  advantage  85 

change    to    from    room-and-pillar 

system   85 

new  mines  projected  on   68 

Peabody  Coal  Company   144 

Permanent    timbering    in    longwall 
mines   128 

Permissible    explosives,    advantages 

in  use   123,  124 

cost     124 

increase  in  use   124 

quantity   per      shot    124 

Peoria,  condition  of  roads  near  in 

1838    28 

discovery  of  coal  near   12,  16 

price  of  coal  in  1837   23 

seam  5  60 


INDEX— Continued 


247 


Peoria     Countv,     capitalization     of 

mines,   1840 33 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

coal  production,  1840   33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Perry      County,      capitalization      of 

mines,  1840 33 

employees  in  mines,  1840   33 

production  of  coal,  1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Peru,  coal 24 

Peru  Coal  Mining  Company   39 

Pike  County,  coal   15 

Pillar  coal,  cost   91 

waste   89 

Pillar  drawing    89 

methods    90,  92,  93 

Pit  cars,  weight   190 

Pittsburg,   mining    20 

railroad   42 

Pneumatic  signaling   194 

Pneumelectric      mining      machines, 

tons  undercut  per  day  by 117 

Pollution  of  mine  air,  causes 150 

Population,  increase  of  in  Illinois..   20 
Powder,  carlessness  in  handling.  . .  .144 

charges    114 

tons  gained  per  keg  117 

total  number  of  kegs  used 54 

transportation    126 

Power  at  surface  plants   213 

electric  purchased    213 

Preparation  of  coal,  cost 214 

equipment.... 205,  206,  207,  208,  209 

Preparation  of  coal    202 

Preservative  treatment  of  timbers.  132 

cost 132 

Preservatives  used  for  timber 130 

Pressure  of  gas  in  solid  coal 154 

Prices,   causes   of  present   low 219 

Production  of  coal  per  capita 147 

of  employees  per  capita    148 

Profit,  decline  of  in  coal  mining... 223   ! 

Props,  cost 131,  132,  138 

number  and  cost  in  rooms 139 

number    for   safe   mining 138 

number    per    100    square    feet    of 

roof    138 

number  per  ton  of  coal 140 

safe  distance  of  from  face  138 

Puncher  machines  117 

method  of  supplying  air 118 

tons  undercut  per  day   117 

Putnam  County,  coal 21 

Pyrites,  separation  of  from  coal.  .  .  .210 
Pyrobar,  use  of  for  stoppings 162 


R 

PAGE 

Rack-rail     locomotives,     ton     mile- 
age of 178 

Railroad  construction  authorized  bv 

State  in   1837 19 

Railroad  rails,  use  of  as  cross  bars.  133 
Railroads,    construction    of    Galena 

and   Chicago    34 

first  from  Chicago  to  Mississippi  34 

first  in  Illinois    34 

first  in  Mississippi  Valley  21 

in  Illinois  in  1846 33 

main   track   mileage 35 

mileage  in  1850 34 

mileage  in  Illinois,   1855 37 

purchase    of    coal    burning    loco- 
motives       34 

serving  coal  mines 223,  224,  225 

Randolph   County,  capitalization  of 

mines,  1840 33 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

coal  production  in  1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Refuge  chamber  in  Peabody  mine.  . 

144,  145,  146 

Rescreeners,  sizes  of  coal  made.  .  .  .202 

Revolving  screen,  diameter 210 

length 210 

revolutions   210 

Rockford,     Rock     Island     and     St. 

Louis    Railroad    48 

Rock  Island,  coal  near 23 

Rock  Island  County,  coal 22 

coal  production  1870 40 

1880    48 

Rock  River,  coal  in  banks 39 

coal  seams  along   39 

Rock  top  in  District  VII  77 

Rockwell,  coal  mined  at 25 

Rolls,  in  Districts  IV  and  VIII...  80 
Roof,  arching  of  in  District  11.78,  137 

brushing    79 

cost 181 

conditions  by  districts 73 

spalling  with  temperature  changes  80 

shooting  to  prevent  squeezes 77 

Roof  breaks  in  longwall  mines,  dis- 
tance between   101 

Roof  falls,  cause  152 

Roof  weight,  in  longwall  mines....  101 

Room-and-pillar  mines    71 

Room-and-pillar  system,  evolution.   68 
modifications... 77,  78,  79,  80,  81,  82 

Room  necks,  dimensions  71 

Rooms,    dimensions    71 

length 73 

Run  of  mine  coal,  percentage 202 


248 


INDEX— Continued 


PAGE 

St.    Clair  County,    capitalization    of 

mines,   1840    33 

coal 17,  21 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

mining  in,  1851   36 

production  of  coal,  1840 33 

1870 40 

1871    42 

1880 48 

St.  Louis  and  Illinois  Railroad,  coal 

tonnage   transported,    1871 42 

St.    Louis    and    Southeastern    Rail- 
road      48 

St.  Louis  coal   39 

St.  Louis,  demand  for  coal 26 

price  of  coal   17 

price  of  coal,  1831 17 

1834    17 

1838    27 

St.  Louis,  Vandalia  &  Terre  Haute 

Railroad    47 

Saline  County,  production  of  coal  in 

1880    48 

seam  5  62  | 

thickness  of  coal 62 

Sangamon  Countv,  capitalization  of 

mines,  1840 33 

coal 15 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

coal  production  in,   1840   33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Schoolcraft's   Narrative  Journal   of 

Travels    14 

Schuyler    County,    capitalization    of 

mines,   1840    33 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

coal  production  in,   1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Scott      County,      capitalization      of 

mines,   1840 33 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 

production  of  coal,  1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    . . . : 48  i 

Screens,    inclination    210 

types 202 

types  of  shaking   210 

Sealed  off  gas  areas  157 

Seam  1,  analysis  in  District  III.  . .  .   57 

description  in  District  III 59 

characteristics  in  District  III....   59 

thickness  in  District  III 59 

Seam  2,  analysis  in  District  1 57 

analysis    in    District   II 57 

analysis  in  District  III 57 


PAGE 

characteristics   in   District    1 56 

characteristics   in    District    II....   58 
characteristics  in  District  III....   60 

description,    District   1 56 

District  II    58 

District  III  .. .. 59 

thickness  in  District  I . 56 

District  II 58 

District  III    60 

Seam  5,  analysis  District  IV 57 

District   V    57 

characteristics  in  District  IV.  .60,  61 

characteristics  in  District  V 63 

clay   veins    61 

description  in  District  IV 60 

description  in  District  V 62 

thickness  of  in  District  V 62 

District   IV    60 

Seam   6,    analysis    District    VI 64 

District  VII  57 

District  VIII 57 

bands  in  District  VII    65 

blue  band  in  District  VI   64 

District   VIII    66 

characteristics  in  District  VI....  64 

in  District  VII   65 

in  District  VIII   66 

description  in   District  VI 64 

District   VII    65 

District  VIII  66 

mines   in    Southern    Illinois 68 

opened  Belleville   43 

thickness  in  District  VI 64 

District   VII    65 

District  VIII    66 

Seam  7,  analysis  in  District  VIII..   57 
characteristics  in  District  VIII..   66 

description  in  District  VIII 66 

Seam  7,  thickness  in  District  VIII.   66 

Seams,  description  of 56,  57, 

58,  59,  60,  61,  62,  63,  64,  65,  66,  67 

Shaft   bottoms    191 

storage   space    191 

timbering    134 

Shaft  pillars,  advantage  of   remov- 
ing in  longwall  mines 97 

disadvantage  of  removing  in  long- 
wall  mines   98 

Shafts,    fireproof    lining 197 

plan  of  concrete  lined   201 

sinking    197 

size 200 

use  of  cement  gun  in  lining 200 

Shearing  the  rib   78,  82 

Shearing  the  rib  in  panel  mines ....  89 
Shelby     County,     capitalization     of 

mines  of,_  1840 33 

employees  in  mines,  1840 33 


INDEX — Continued 


249 


production   of   coal,    1840 33 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Shipping    mines,    average    days    of 

operation     219 

excess    147 

Shooting  off  the  solid   114 

in  shipping  mines    114 

Silliman's     American     Journal     of 

Science    24 

Shot  firers   in  gassy  mines 125 

Skip,  use  of  for  hoisting 191,  194 

Slack,  use  of  as  aggregate  for  con- 
crete stoppings   165 

Snubbing,  depth   118 

kind    118 

Solid  shooting,  excess  powder  used.  123 

waste  of  coal    123 

Southern  Illinois,  coal   43 

working  of  No.  6  seam 68 

Spoon  River,  coal  in  banks 16 

Sprags   in   longwall   mines 105 

Springfield    Coal    Company 41 

Squeezes,  causes  of   73,  77 

checking    77 

longwall  mines   102 

panel  mines   85 

percentage   of    in   panel   mines...   85 

Squibs,  use  of  in  blasting    125 

Stables  in  mines    173 

Stark    County,    coal    production    in 

1870    40 

1880    48 

Starved   Rock,   coal   near 25 

State    Mining    Law,    need    for    en- 
forcement   of    144 

Statistics    of   coal,    Taylor 37 

Steam,  use  of  in  humidification   of 

mine    air    152,  153 

Steam  shovels  at  stripping  mines..  107 

Steel,  use  in  mines 132 

use  in  overcasts  169 

Steel  T-beams,  cost  of  in  place....  132 

Stoppings,    efficiency    161,  162 

material  and  cost 

162,  163,  164,  165,  166 

Stripping,    methods    109,  111 

tons  of  coal  per  keg  of  powder.  Ill 

Stripping  mines    70,    107 

blasting   Ill 

coal    face    110 

cost  of  mining Ill 

hydraulic  monitors   108,   111 

Danville  District    107 

thoroughcut   Ill 

use  of  horse  scrapers    Ill 

use  of  steam  shovels 107 


PAGE 

Stripping    system,    evolution 107 

Sugar  Creek,  coal  in  banks 16 

Sulphur,  separation  of  from  coal.. 210 
Surface  employees,  total  in  State..   54 

Surface  plant  equipment 

211,  212,  215,  216,  217,  218 

of  early  mine   37 

Surface  plants,  power   213 

Surface,  rights,  should  be  owned  by 

operators     89 

Surface  subsidence   90 

damage    90 

in  longwall  mining   104 


Tamping  used  in  blasting    125 

Tanner,  A  View  of  the  Valley  of  the 
Mississippi    17 

Tazewell  County,  coal 12 

coal  production  in  1870 40 

1880  48 

Temperature     of    air,     in     longwall 

mines   130 

in  mines    150 

Terre   Haute,   Alton  and   St.   Louis 
Railroad    47 

Third  Vein  field,  description  of  coal 

in 58 

longwall  mining   103 

Thoroughcut  at  stripping  mines.... Ill 

Ties,  dimensions    190 

material 190 

Timber,  waste  of  in  room-and-pillar 
mines   131 

Timbering 127 

cost  of,  in  longwall  mines 130 

cost  per  ton   140 

cost   of  props 138 

cost  of  steel  T-beams 132 

caved  area    137 

longwall  mines   127 

room-and-pillar  mines 131 

number    and     cost     of    props    in 

rooms 139 

number  of  props  per   100  square 

feet  of  roof  138 

number  of  props  per  ton  of  coal.  140 
permanent   in   longwall   mines.  ...  128 

preservative  treatment   132 

safe  number  of  props 138 

sizes  of  steel  I-beams 132 

total  cost  of  per  ton  of  coal 140 

use  of  cogs 128,  135 

use  of  creosote  as  preservative.  .  132 

use  of  steel 132 

decay  o  f  in  longwall  mines 130 

Tipples,    construction 214 


250 


INDEX— Continued 


PAGE 

Tongue-and-groove  lumber,  use   of 
for  lining  overcasts    169 

Tonnage  of  Illinois  coal  mines....  69 

Top  coal,  arching 78 

District  II    78 

recovery  of    92 

Transportation,  facilities  for  in  Illi- 
nois........  223,   224,  225 

Transportation  in   1838 28 

water  courses  utilized    18 

U 

Undercut,    depth    in    longwall    min- 
ing     105 

height  in  longwall  mining 105 

Undercutting  by  chain  machines.  ..  118 
Undercutting  in  longwall  mines.  .  .  .105 
Undercutting      machines,      Chain 

Breast    117 

Chain  Short-wall  117 

puncher  117 

United   States,  annual  coal  produc- 
tion  of    7 

first  discovery  of  coal 10 

Unmodified    room-and-pillar   mines, 

dimensions   71 

Utica,  coal  near 25 

V 

Van  Zandt,  description  of  the  mili- 
tary land  14 

Vandalia  Railroad  40 

Ventilating  equipment  of  mines.... 
167,   170,   172 

Ventilation  150 

cost  of 169 

of  longwall  mines 150 

Vermilion  County,  first  mining  in..  40 
production  of  coal,  1840 33 


PAGE 

1870    40 

1880 48 

Vermilion  River,  coal  in  banks  of . .  20 

Vermilionville,  coal  at 26 

W 

Warren  County,  production  of  coal 

1840    33 

1870    40 

1880 48 

Washington  County,  production  of 
coal  in   1880 48 

Waste  of  timber  in  room-and-pillar 
mining  131 

Water,  character  in  Illinois  mines.  113 

in    Illinois  mines    113 

quantity  in  Illinois  mines 113 

Westville,  mining  near 41 

West  Virginia,  cost  of  coal  produc- 
tion   219 

White  oak  in  timbering   128 

Will  County,  discovery  of  coal....   39 

production  of  coal  in   1870 40 

1880    48 

Williamson  Countv,  coal  production 

in  1870 40 

1880 48 

Wilmington    District,    discovery    of 
coal  in  39 

Wilmington  field,  immediate  roof.  .   58 
description  of  coal 58 

Wing-rooms,    turning    of    to    avoid 
rolls 80 

Woodford    County,    production    of 

coal,  1870  40 

1880    48 

World,  annual  production  of  coal..     7 


Yardage,  avoidance  of  payment....  82 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  COAL  MINING 
INVESTIGATIONS 


Bulletin  1. 

Bulletin  2. 

Bulletin  3. 

Bulletin  4. 


Bulletin  5. 

Bulletin  6. 

Bulletin  7. 

Bulletin  8. 

Bulletin  9. 


Bulletin  10. 
Bulletin  11. 
Bulletin  12. 


Bulletin  13. 
^Bulletin  72. 

^Bulletin  83. 


Preliminary  Eeport  on  Organization  and  Meth- 
od of  Investigations,  1913.     (Out  of  print.) 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  VIII  (Dan- 
ville), by  S.  0.  Andros,  1914. 

A  Chemical  Study  of  Illinois  Coals,  by  Prof.  S. 
W.  Parr.    (In  press.) 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  VII  (Mines  in 
bed  6  in  Bond,  Clinton,  Christian,  Macoupin, 
Madison,  Marion,  Montgomery,  Moultrie, 
Perry,  Bandolph,  St.  Clair,  Sangamon,  Shel- 
by and  Washington  counties),  by  S.  O.  An- 
dros, 1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  I  (Longwall), 
by  S.  0.  Andros,  1914.    (Out  of  print.) 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  V  (Mines  in 
bed  5  in  Saline  and  Gallatin  counties),  by  S. 
0.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  II  (Mines  in 
bed  2  in  Jackson  Countv),  by  S.  0.  Andros, 
1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  VI  (Mines  in 
bed  6  in  Franklin,  Jackson,  Perry,  and  Wil- 
liamson counties),  by  S.  0.  Andros,  1914. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  III  (Mines  in 
beds  1  and  2  in  Brown,  Calhoun,  Cass,  Pul- 
ton, Greene,  Hancock,  Henry,  Jersey,  Knox, 
McDonough,  Mercer,  Morgan,  Rock  Island, 
Schuyler,  Scott,  and  Warren  counties),  by 
S.  0.  Andros,  1915. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  I  (Longwall),  by  G. 
H.  Cady,  1915. 

Coal  Resources  of  District  VII  (Counties 
listed  in  Bulletin  4),  by  Fred  H.  Kay,  1915. 

Coal  Mining  Practice  in  District  IV  (Mines  in 
bed  5  in  Cass,  De Witt,  Fulton,  Knox,  Logan, 
Macon,  Mason,  McLean,  Menard,  Peoria, 
Sangamon,  Schuyler,  Tazewell,  and  Wood- 
ford counties),  by  S.  0.  Andros,  1915. 

Coal  Mining  in  Illinois,  by  S.  0.  Andros,  1915. 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Occurrence  of  Explosive 
Gases  in  Coal  Mines,  by  N.  H.  l)arton,  1915. 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  The  Humidity  of  Mine 
Air,  with  Especial  Reference  to  Coal  Mines 
in  Illinois,  by  R.  Y.  Williams,  1914. 


•Copies  of  this  bulletin  may  be  obtained  by  addressing  the  Director,  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines,  Washington,  D.  C. 


